Stepping Forward
by Eclipsing
Summary: The PREQUEL to Another Step Forward. Ichigo quickly 'befriends' Rukia, the new girl, but their lives get turned upside-down when they go to Matsumoto's birthday party. What do they do when they suddenly find themselves as parents! AU!
1. The Meeting

**Author's Note: I'm back with a new story!!!!!! This is the PREQUEL to my very first fanfiction Another Step Forward, thus I gave this story the title you see above. Read and watch how this story develops to the drama in the sequel.**

**To those who haven't read the other story, you can go ahead and read it (since it's done) OR wait and finish this story first before going to the other one. That might make it REALLY exciting. But be warned, that sequel was my very first story so there are a LOT of mistakes. And I mean a LOT! I went over some of the chapters and got flabbergasted at all the mistakes. I was close to deleting the story, fix it, and re-upload them but then realized I'm too lazy to do that… oh well…**

**Again I would like to remind you that there will most definitely be spelling errors and/or grammatical mistakes. I am trying to fix them but it's not always perfect. And I'm a bit rusty after such a long break..... (actually, wasn't it only like three months? I have no idea why I'm writing so much...)**

**PS. This story will have no lemon. I want a break from all that for awhile. There will be obvious hints of maybe lime and lemony stuff going on but I'm too lazy to write them.  
**

**Read and enjoy!  
**

**Disclaimer**: I do NOT own Bleach

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Chapter 1: The Meeting

_

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Beep. Beep. Beep. Be—_SLAM!

Ichigo groaned as he blinked open one eye to read the time. It was 7am. Time to get ready for school. The orange head sat up, yawning loudly as he stretched his arms over his head.

_Thump Thump Thump_

Ichigo became very still when he heard some weird noise coming up the stairs. Could it be—

"GOOD MORNING ICHIGOOOO!"

It was.

"ACK!" Ichigo didn't have time defend himself when his father came busting through the door, aiming a kick at his son's face. The enraged orange head threw his father off of him. "WHY CAN'T YOU JUST WAKE ME UP NORMALLY?!"

"That just shows how much you lack training," Isshin snorted, placing his hands on his hips, "No wonder you don't have a girlfriend. Who would want to be with you when you won't even be able to protect them? If you don't get a girl soon, I'm going to lose my bet with Urahara!"

Ichigo groaned as he got out of bed. On his way to the bathroom, he grabbed the back of Isshin's collar and dragged him outside. "I don't want to hear anymore of your nonsense. I'm awake now so don't go into my room!" he yelled, shoving his father down the stairs as he went to get ready for the day.

_What a way to start off the day, _Ichigo thought to himself as he brushed his teeth. It was getting damn annoying. Defending himself from his father' random attacks everyday was getting old, really fast. But the old man, no matter how much he ages, just won't let go.

"I'm leaving!" he called out as he made his way out the door.

"Have fun at school!" Yuzu waved goodbye.

"Yes my son! Go and get a woman to become the bearer of your children!" Isshin shouted out.

Ichigo groaned as he ignored his father's last comment and quickly walked away from his house. He looked up as he slowly walked the path he knew so well. The bright sun was exactly where he thought it would be, no different from the day before or any other day during this time of the year.

How boring life was in this little town of Karakura.

"ICHIGOO—OOF!"

"Ohayo, Keigo," Ichigo dropped the arm that his friend knocked into as he entered his 1-3 class.

"Ohayo, Ichigo," Mizuiro greeted.

"Ah," Ichigo nodded along the way to his seat. As soon as he sat down, he was suddenly greeted by more of his friends.

"Ichigo!"

"Kurosaki-kun!"

"Hey there Kurosaki!"

"What's up sherbet?"

"Hmm," Chad merely nodded his silent greeting and got the same reply.

Ichigo stretched his arms over his bright head as his friends crowded around him to discuss their weekends. He merely nodded here and there, not really listening to all the noise they were making. It was still too early to be talking so loud.

"Oi, did you hear about the transfer student?" Renji started.

Tatsuki nodded. "I heard she's coming here from one of Tokyo's prestigious schools. I wonder why she would come to this place."

"Maybe she's really stupid and only got into that other school because of her parent's wealth," Mizuiro said, "I heard a lot of stories like that."

"Oh! It's like when the pretty fairy got changed into a robot because she had the most magic than all the other fairies!" Orihime excitingly announced.

Everyone merely laughed—awkwardly—at her explanation while Tatsuki patted her head as a 'job-well-done.' "So, what's she like?" Tatsuki asked.

Renji shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know."

"I thought you saw her or something. How else would you know about the transfer student?" Tatsuki asked.

"It wasn't me who saw her," he replied, "it was Hitsugaya. He told me when I met up with him in front of the student council room."

In a flash every eye went to the silver-haired boy who was trying to read his book in his seat, but he immediately tensed when he felt all the eyes staring at his back. He cautiously turned back and saw that he was right: most of his friends were staring at him. "What?" he frowned, "Why are you guys looking at me like that?"

"Eh? I heard you saw the new student," Tatsuki sneered as she neared him, "So what's she like? Did you get a good look at her?"

Hitsugaya fought off his temper to hit her when she placed an arm on top of his head. "Remove the hand or else I'll cut it off, Arisawa," he threatened.

"Geez, someone woke up in the wrong side of the bed this morning," she snickered.

"Ohayo!" Hinamori suddenly entered the room and skipped up to her two bickering friends. "What's going on?" she asked when she noticed Tatsuki's amused look and Histugaya's twitching eye.

"Your little boyfriend here won't tell us about the new girl coming into our class," she responded, "And I'm trying to get it out of him but he's a bit feisty this morning."

"I'm not _feisty_!...Just what do you even mean by that?!" he glared.

"If you're talking about Kuchiki Rukia, then I just saw her!" Hinamori smiled sweetly, and immediately all the eyes turned to her, relieving Hitsugaya from all the previous attention.

"You did? What was she like?" Tatsuki asked.

Hinamori's lower lip stuck out as she thought back to the new girl she just saw. "Um, I was in a hurry so I didn't see too well. But she looked really pretty."

"KYA!" Keigo jumped up and squealed with joy, "More angels are coming into our heaven! This is a great day!"

Ichigo just rolled his eyes as he dropped his chin into his hand and leaned heavily against his desk. While his friends and other classmates were interested about this new girl, he didn't really care. Whoever it was, it wouldn't matter to him since it's not like he's going to hit on her like how Keigo was planning.

If they became friends then that was fine. But if she's a ditz who's nothing but money then he might just hate her.

Those were the only two options he had when it came to girls and he was fine with it. Sure there were girls—young and older—coming after him every other corner, but he never really paid any attention to them. He just never had the time to date and wasn't planning to any time soon.

_Ding! Ding! Ding!_

The bell finally rung and everyone quickly dashed to their seats, awaiting the new student that would come in with their homeroom teacher. Everyone's curiosity was literally streaming out of their eyes as they stared at the door.

---

Rukia looked left and right as she followed her new homeroom teacher to their class.

"So, where are you from again?" Ochi-sensei asked.

"Huh?" Rukia looked up to see the older woman staring back at her, "Oh, um, I just moved here from Tokyo. I attended Tokyo Girl's Academy."

Ochi-sensei whistled. "Pretty prestigious school. Sadly this place isn't like that but I hope that's fine with you."

Rukia nodded. "I'm fine. It's nice to get away from all the work I had to do before."

"So why did you suddenly move here?"

After a second pause, Rukia looked away as she answered, "My grandmother is ill so I came to take care of her. I didn't want her to live alone anymore. Ojiisan passed away two years ago and she's been alone ever since then."

"Ah, aren't you a sweet child," Ochi-sensei smiled sweetly at her, "These days there aren't many kids who takes care of their grandparents when they're ill."

Rukia just smiled in response.

"Well, here we are." Ochi-sensei stopped in front of the classroom door of 1-3 and turned around to face Rukia. "I'll go inside first. Come in when I call for you."

Rukia nodded and remained in her spot as the teacher stepped into the door. She heard her screaming at everyone to get back into their seats as she slammed her attendance folder on the podium in front of the class. Then, the teacher started the attendance before informing the class about the new transfer student.

"You may come in now," Ochi-sensei called out to her.

Rukia took in one last breath as she slowly walked into her new class. When she reached the front, she bowed down deeply and greeted: "Ohayo gozaimasu. Watashi Kuchiki Rukia desu. Dozoyoroshiku."

There was a loud 'oh' and 'awe' from the class as she stood back up. And the first thing that caught her eyes was orange.

Correction: orange hair.

One of her classmates had unbelievable orange hair, and he was sitting close to the window.

As soon as the transfer student walked in, Ichigo felt his body tense. He didn't know why. He was just minding his own business, looking out the window like usual, when the something caught his eyes.

She was a petite woman with silky, black hair, with one strand of her bangs hanging across her face. She looked nervous but at the same time she wore a strong expression… that is until she saw him.

Amber met violet.

Violet met Amber.

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A/N: I noticed that my other fanfics all started off with very short chapters. But that means it will get longer as time goes by! Yay!

The next chapter should be out by next week. So this might be a weekly update…or at least I'll try. With school going on, there might be some days that I might be late.

So this is the beginning our destiny…in this alternate universe of course. What do you guys think? I'd like to know but if you are going to criticize, don't be too mean or unhelpful. I'll practically just ignore those. If they are good complements and/or constructive criticism then I won't mind.

Please review!!


	2. What Friendship?

**Author's Note: THANK YOU to those who read, reviewed and/or favorite'd this story. After a well-needed break, my fingers are starting to work a lot faster and I can't wait to finish this baby up already. I have pretty much laid out my plans for this story and so far I know you guys are going to like it. The only problem is, is that I don't know whether to make this long or short. I have so many ideas but I don't want to drag this story too much so I'm going to have to look over my plotlines for the next few days.**

**This chapter is to show the close friendship between Ichigo and Rukia before things turn around. It's pretty random but I wanted to include how things worked between our favorite characters so you guys can compare their relationship before and after the fated event occurs (which will be coming along VERY soon). In the sequel story, I placed tons of characters from Bleach into the story when they weren't really important. I wanted to dismiss some of them but since I had already wrote on them, I had no choice but to include them in the story. So don't be bothered by some of these random appearances.  
**

**Well, enough with my rambling. Please go read!  
**

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Bleach

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Chapter 2: What Friendship?

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"Um, so what's going on with them?" Renji asked.

Tatsuki shrugged her shoulders as she continued eating her lunch. "Don't know. But they've been like that since day one."

"I'm not talking about their relationship," he scoffed at her, "I mean, what are they doing right _now?_

At that point Tatsuki turned to see her childhood friend and her new friend glaring at each other while a piece of packaged-curry bread was sitting on the ground between them. She sighed at the image. "They're at it again."

Yup. The two hotheads were in the middle of a staring contest to see who would blink first to win the last curry bread of the day. Ever since they first met less than a month ago there was an unexplainable vibe that attracted one to the other.

But not in a good way.

Ochi-sensei had 'graciously' seated Rukia next to Ichigo, forcing him the task to take care of her since she was new to the school.

_Flashback_

_Ichigo didn't know why but he was feeling nervous with the new student sitting only a little more than a foot away from him. Never had he been so intrigued by a girl that he just openly stared at her for who knows how long!_

"_Okay guys," Ochi-sensei started, "Grab the person next to you and start working on these questions." She turned around to some write questions on the board while the students quickly slammed their desks with the person next to them._

_Ichigo couldn't help but gulp as he peered at the person who he was going to have to work with. "Um," he started, "I-I guess…we're partners._

Nice,_ he mentally smacked himself. The first thing he says to the new girl was something so obvious that it was stupid. Not to mention he stuttered a bit._

_Rukia lightly nodded her head. "I guess so." She grabbed one end of her desk and carefully slid it over about a foot before adjusting her seat to the new arrangements. Meanwhile, Ichigo could only stare at her as she moved. He was pulled out of his daze when she smiled up at him. "So, where do we start, Kurosaki-kun?"_

_Ichigo couldn't help but cringe at the formality. "Well, have you studied English in past tense, Kuchiki-san?"_

_Rukia couldn't help but cringe at the formality. "Not really. Can you fill me in?"_

_Ichigo nodded as he opened his book and started to relay to her what their class had been studying up until then. In no time the two were solving all the questions on the board and were starting to connect. Ichigo noticed it was a lot easier to talk to her then most of the female population in their school. Unlike them, she was actually smart and was a fast learner. Rukia was thinking the same thing as she easily talked to her partner about the significance of learning English. She couldn't stop grinning at him and their amazing teamwork._

_The only thing that was bothering them was the way they were addressing each other. It just tasted really bad in the mouth._

Ding ding ding!

"_Well, that's all for today." Ochi-sensei grabbed her book and quickly left to go to her next class while the students in class 1-3 started to get up for their ten minute break._

_Ichigo quickly got up from his desk and started to head out of the room without a word._

_Ask her any other day why she did it, Rukia wouldn't be able to give a clear answer. But for some reason she just had to get up and chase after the orange head that was already out the door. "Wait! Kurosaki-kun!" she called out._

_Ichigo immediately turned around when he heard her voice. "What's up?" he asked, pleased with how he was able to cover his nervousness with his usual cocky tone._

_When their eyes connected again Rukia felt a lot smaller than she already was. Something about his eyes send weird feelings all over her body. "Um, well…" she paused to scratch her arm as she looked away, "I just wanted to thank you for your help today. And I hope you can continue to help me until I get used to things around here."_

_Ichigo stared at her for a second before nodding. "Sure, no problem."_

_She immediately looked back up at him and smiled. "Thank you."_

"_No problem…Kuchiki-san." It still felt weird._

"_Um, you can just call me 'Rukia,'" she said as she extended a hand out to him. "I hope we can be friends."_

_Ichigo looked between her face and her hand before slowly grabbing it. They shook lightly before they tightened their grips for a firmer handshake. A smile appeared on his face as he nodded. "I hope so too," he said as he released his grip. "Oh, and you can call me 'Ichigo.'"_

_One of Rukia's eyebrows went up in amusement. "'Ichigo?' As in the fruit?"_

_A vein suddenly appeared on his tan skin and his cheerful complexion immediately returned to its original scowl. "Oi, it means 'one to protect.' It's not 'strawberry.'"_

"_You do know you just admitted that your name sounds like 'strawberry,'" she snickered._

_Ichigo opened his mouth to retort when he just remembered she was right: he said 'strawberry' when she only said 'fruit.' Shit, he just met her and she was already whooping his ass. "Psh," he scoffed, "At least I'm not shorter than an average human. Seriously, did you stop growing back when you were in kindergarten or something?"_

_This time a vein appeared on pale white skin. "What?" she sneered between gritted teeth as she glared at him._

_Ichigo crossed his arms over his chest as he glared at her. "What? Can't hear me from all the way down there?"_

_Rukia's hands tightened into little fists as she kicked his shin. "Don't call me 'short!'"_

"_OW!" he grabbed his bruising shin and cursed. "What the fuck, midget!"_

"_Strawberry!"_

"_Imp!"_

"_Orange buffoon!"_

"_That doesn't even make sense!"_

"_I don't care!"_

_End of Flashback_

And it's been like that ever since—

"You blinked! Ha! I win!" Rukia pointed at him.

"Wha—No I didn't!" Ichigo argued but gasped when Rukia grabbed the curry bread. "That's mine!" he shouted as he tried to reach for it.

But Rukia quickly kicked him away as she opened the plastic bag and took a big bite of the bread. "Mhmm," she moaned at delicious victory.

"Bitch," he mumbled on the ground. He sat back up and glared at her. "I hope that bread is a month old so you get sick from it."

Rukia merely checked the expiration date on the plastic bag and went back to eating. "Nope, it's still good for a few more days."

"Bitch," he cursed again.

"Stop acting like three year olds," Tatsuki yelled over at them, "How can I enjoy my lunch if you two keep whining?"

"It's all her fault!" Ichigo pointed at the girl who was enjoying _his_ lunch.

Renji rolled his eyes. "Dude, you just made yourself look even more pathetic by bitching about her."

"Shut up, pineapple," he snarled at him.

But the annoying nickname didn't even faze him. "You're acting like a pussy."

"WHAT?!" Ichigo jumped up and was about to charge at the red head when a pair of thick arms hooked under each arm and held him up in the air. The enraged Ichigo looked back and shouted, "Chad! Let me go so I can teach that bastard a lesson!"

But the gentle giant just shook his head as he kept Ichigo locked in his hold.

Renji stuck his tongue out to tease him.

"You're even more pathetic," Tatsuki smacked him over the head.

"This is stupid," Uryuu sighed as he pushed up his ever-slipping glasses. "Can I ever eat my lunch in peace?"

"Up here, no," Tatsuki answered him. "If you want peace, then you'll have to move out of this _town_. This place is filled with idiots," she nodded her head at everyone that was one the roof, more or less eating their lunch while playing stupid games at the same time.

"I found that out on the first day," Rukia added as she came back from throwing away the plastic bag that once held the curry bread. "I literally moved into a circus."

"At least you're not as insane as the others," Tatsuki patted Uryuu on the back.

"What are you three talking about now?" Orihime asked as she sat down next to her best friend. "I heard something about a circus."

Tatsuki laughed out loud. "Yeah, Kuchiki was just talking about how this town is like a circus."

"Oh! That would be so cool!" she grinned widely as her eyes started to sparkle with imagination. "If that was the case then I would be like a robot with missiles! And oh! Tatsuki-chan would be a lion who can rip anyone's head off if they get too close. And, and, and, Ishida-kun can be the intelligent ring leader who programmed every one of us to follow his every—" her words got cut off when Tatsuki placed her hand over her mouth.

"That's enough, Orihime," the tomboy awkwardly smiled at her ditzy friend.

"Mrph mmhm murh huh!" she mumbled against her hand.

"Yes yes," Tatsuki removed her hand and patted her friend on the head, "It would have been very amusing if that was true."

Rukia was laughing along with her new friends when a strong arm suddenly came around her shoulders. She didn't have to fully turn to see the outrageous hair color from her peripheral vision.

"Ah man, that was totally stupid," Renji groaned as he leaned against Rukia a little more after coming back from making fun of Ichigo. "You should put a leash on that carrot top."

She shrugged her shoulders. "I would but I don't think anything can keep that_ thing _down."

"Who are you calling a _'_thing,'" Ichigo growled as he walked up to her, finally out of Chad's hold. As soon as he saw the offending arm around Rukia, he scowled even more as he pushed it off. "Stop harassing her, pineapple," he snapped at him as he sat down on the other side of her.

"Geez, possessive much," Uryuu smirked.

"Shut up, four-eyes," he glared.

"Wow, nice comeback."

Ichigo growled lowly as his glare intensified. But he didn't move to hit him when Chad sat down at his other side. With a grunt, he turned away from Uryuu and started to silently eat some of the lunch the big man brought with him. Just as things were starting to quiet down the door to the school roof burst open.

"We're here!"

All seven occupants looked up to see Matsumoto making yet another grand entrance. "Geez, what do you three want this time," Ichigo groaned.

"Oi, what's with that attitude," Ikkaku ruffled his orange hair before sitting down in the circle. "You should consider yourselves lucky to be having lunch with us."

"You're the ones who invited yourselves, not us," Uryuu said.

Matsumoto pouted as she sat on the other side of Orihime. "Why are you always so grouchy at us?"

"Ah, they're just jealous of our natural beauty," Yumichika sighed as he flipped his hair.

"Shut up, Cosmo girl," Tatsuki snapped at him.

A vein popped out. "What did you call me?" he growled through his gritted teeth.

"You heard me," she challenged.

"Augh, please stop it. We're not in grade school anymore," Uryuu deadpanned.

"Stay out of this!" the two shouted at him simultaneously. Both of his hands immediately rose up as a sign of backing off.

_Ding ding ding!_

"Damn, lunch is over already?" Ikkaku whined as he quickly shoved half a sandwich down his throat.

"Well, you did come up here in the last five minutes of," Ichigo said, "What were you three doing?"

"Trying to get out of detention," Matsumoto sighed as she stood up and stretched her legs. "But I guess that was a waste. We finally got out when the teacher fell asleep but with only a few minutes left."

"We should have just stayed there," Yumichika added as he and the others packed up their belongings and started to head to their classrooms.

But before taking another step, Rukia stopped and looked up. "Looks like it's going to rain," she announced, not taking her eyes away from the dark clouds. Soon everyone else also looked up to see the rain clouds hovering above them.

"Good thing I brought my umbrella," Renji said as he looked away to continue his way to class.

"Me too," Matsumoto sighed in relief. "Now my hair won't get messed up in the rain."

"I brought my big umbrella that holds three people! I can share if anyone wants to," Orihime offered.

Uryuu smiled lightly at her. "I might have to take you on that offer, Inoue-san."

She smiled brightly at him. "Okay!"

One by one the small group of friends made their way to the door that would take them back inside the school building. It wasn't a big deal if it rained since it seemed to happen so often in Karakura. But two people remained rooted in their spots.

Ichigo and Rukia continued staring at the gray clouds, their breathings getting a little heavier with the gloomy weather. "Oi," he called out, "It's raining."

Rukia slightly flinched when the first drop landed on her nose. "Yeah," she responded, "It's raining."

When the second drop landed on Ichigo's nose it finally pulled him out of his daze.

Noticing his expression, she said, "Let's go back before it gets worse."

Ichigo nodded at her as he opened the door and waited for her to go through first before following after her. Without taking another look back the two quickly ran to their classroom just in time before the start of their next class. School went on no different from any other day, except it was starting to pour outside.

Before he knew it, Ichigo was standing by the front door of the school, scowling even more than usual. "Shit," he cursed, "I don't have an umbrella."

"What are you still doing here, strawberry?"

His left eye twitched as he turned around to glare at the person standing behind him. "Don't call me that, midget."

"Only when you stop calling me that, strawberry," Rukia snapped back before heading to her locker. "You haven't answered my question yet. Why aren't you going home?"

Ichigo grunted as he looked back outside. "I forgot my umbrella."

"Just walk home then. You need to water that orange bush on top of your head once in awhile or else it'll stop growing."

"Shut up," he growled at her.

Rukia just sighed as she pulled something extra out of her locker before locking it and walking up to him. "Here." She handed him a spare umbrella that was in her locker, though with some reluctance. "It's one of my favorites so make sure you return it." She quickly shoved it into his hands and started to leave.

Ichigo looked at the umbrella and frowned. "Why are you being so nice all of a sudden?"

"What are you talking about? I'm always nice," she snapped at him.

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure you are," he replied sarcastically.

"You should consider yourself lucky to have a friend like me," she scoffed at him. "I don't lend anyone my stuff this easily."

"Well don't I feel like I won the lottery."

Rukia just waved his comment aside and stepped out the door. "See you Monday," she smiled at him before opening her purple umbrella and stepping out into the rain. Without turning back she quickly headed off to home.

Ichigo smirked as he watched her turn the corner and out of sight. With a low chuckle he stepped out to the edge of the school building and opened the umbrella. He immediately paled. "Oh fuck no!" he cursed out loud.

Two big bunny ears were sticking out from the top of the umbrella.

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A/N: Okay, to the last part with the two looking up at the rain might have been a bit awkward and unnecessary. But I wanted to show that after only a few days the two became so close that they both have similar reactions to some events without really knowing why. Confusing? Yeah, it is for me too.

I'll try to explain but if you don't care, then skip this paragraph: The rain reminds Ichigo of a sensitive subject. And although I haven't written anything about it being a sad thing for Rukia as well, I'm planning on incorporating it into the story later. However, the two already have a bond that shows they know of each others discomforts, likes, and thoughts. I might write about Ichigo telling Rukia about his mother's death...but you guys can just think that he already had given her small hints on that subject.

Hopefully all the characters I have shoved (and forgotten to include) in this chapter weren't bothersome. They are to me, but I tried my best to make this story flow better with them. I have a tendency to write about a character but later not use them so they just disappear as the story progresses. And that will happen a lot here because I'm focusing purely on Ichigo and Rukia.

Well, thanks for reading! And don't forget to review! They motivate me to write more!

PREVIEW for next chapter:

Matsumoto's party and all the fun that comes before the next day


	3. The Party

**Author's Note: First of all, THANK YOU to those who reviewed and favorite'd this story and/or me. I really like getting all those emails on my work. This is the third chapter and it is a bit longer than the previous one. HOWEVER, this chapter is going to feel a bit awkward. Here's why:**

**Some time has passed and the relationship between Ichigo and Rukia is a lot stronger. When did this happen? Well, sometime before this chapter that's for sure. I just made some changes and kind of rushed this chapter because I wanted to get to the good stuff faster. So sorry if there are any mistakes or the story feels a bit off. This chapter is just a necessary start for what's to happen (and those of you who read the sequel will find this chapter familiar since I got most of it from there--thus some awkwardness in how the chapter flows).**

**Well, just read and let me know what you think!**

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Bleach

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Chapter 3: The Party

* * *

"What are you guys talking about?" Rukia asked as she sat down in the circle of friends. She had just finished delivering some paperwork to her teacher and was now joining her friends on the roof for some lunch. She sat down in her usual spot next to Ichigo, who was sucking on his juice box.

"Nothing much," Tatsuki answered, "We're thinking about going somewhere this weekend. Maybe the mall…"

"Why there?" Rukia asked.

Hinamori smiled sweetly. "A new store opened yesterday and they sell all kinds of party dresses. We wanted to go see some of the stuff. Why don't you come with us, Kuchiki-san?"

Rukia tilted her head to the side to think about it. "I'm not sure yet but it sounds like fun. I'll let you know once I figure it out."

When the two girls nodded with approval, they turned around before Ichigo nudged Rukia's shoulder as he leaned over to whisper, "I thought you said you might go visit your brother back in Tokyo?"

Rukia shook her head. "No, I don't want to see him. He called a few days ago and cancelled on me, thankfully."

"Then why did he even tell you to visit him?"

She shrugged her shoulders as she pulled out her lunch from a plastic bag. "I think he just wanted to make sure I'm alive or something. But it must have not been a big deal since he decided to go to New York instead."

"Psh, he's some brother," Ichigo scoffed.

Rukia silently nodded in agreement as she started eating. The door burst open again and Matsumoto came through with Orihime behind her.

"We brought some ice cream!" Orihime hopped over to her friends and opened the bag of treats.

"Sweet," Renji cheered as he and the others reached over to grab some.

But Uryuu stayed in his spot, staring suspiciously at the bag. "Um, where did you get that, Inoue-san? Did you two sneak outside?"

"Nope. We were walking by the stairs at the first floor and all of a sudden all these third-years came up and gave these to us," Orihime answered, "I don't know why they did or how they got it."

"Probably snuck out and got it," Ikkaku commented as he sucked on his Popsicle.

"But why would they give it to us if they went through all the trouble to buy it for themselves?" Orihime tilted her head to the side in deep thought.

But Ikkaku merely scoffed at her. "You really don't know?" he asked, only to receive a shaking head from her. He rolled his eyes before nodding his head at the direction of the woman standing next to her. "Because she was the one who ordered them to buy them for her."

The others looked over to see Matsumoto coolly flipping her strawberry-blonde hair over her shoulders. "I'm just too irresistible."

"And fucking insane," he commented, earning a big slap on the head for it.

"They volunteered to do it," she glared at him.

"Only because you kept shaking those humongous boobs of yours in front of their faces!" Ikkaku shouted. "Unlike the rest of us who are already immune to you, those idiots still think you're some innocent Aphrodite who needs everyone to do your bidding!"

"My beautiful goddess!" Keigo suddenly jumped up and flew towards Matsumoto who swiped him down with a punch without blinking.

"See what I mean?!" Ikkaku pointed at a twitching Keigo on the ground. "Don't blame me if someone suddenly decides to jump on you."

"Psh, I can take care of myself," she huffed.

Hinamori suddenly stepped in between the two with a nervous chuckle. "That's enough you two. At least we should thank Matsumoto-chan for bringing us dessert, no matter what method she used."

But Tatsuki scoffed to the side. "Don't even bother. She just did it to get attention."

"At least I get some, Arisawa," Matsumoto challenged, "The only people who ever give you attention are when they cowering away in fear."

A twitched formed under her eye. "At least I don't go whoring around!"

"When did I ever do that?!" she shouted back, "I just _asked_ them to buy me and my friends some ice cream _nicely_ and they did!"

"Guys," Orihime pouted, "I think we're taking this too seriously."

But Uryuu patted her shoulder as soon as she voiced her worries. "They'll be fine, Inoue-san. They always fight but are still great friends."

"What are you talking about?" Tatsuki glared at him, "Why would I be friend with this _sempai_?"

"Like I want to be friends with you?" Matsumoto snapped back, "I'm only here for Orihime-chan." She reached over and rubbed her face against the other girl's face. "If I don't protect her, your boyish attitude will only rub off on her and make her into a man."

Tatsuki growled and was about to talk back when suddenly something went passed her.

"My two beautiful goddesses!" Keigo squealed as his hungry eyes were staring at how their big breasts were squished together. "Let my worship you for—AUGH!" he choked when suddenly Tatsuki came up and grabbed him behind the collar.

"Get him!" she shouted and Matsumoto delivered a swift kick that sent him flying to the other side of the roof. After hearing the satisfying 'thud,' Tatsuki dusted off her hands before high-fiving the blonde in front of her. "Nice kick."

She nodded in agreement. "Yet another girl saved from that pervert."

Ikkaku rolled his eyes as he finished his popsicle. "I don't think I would ever want a girl like them," he mumbled.

The others guys agreed with him but Orihime and Hinamori sighed in relief as they settled down in their spots and chatted like they never fought a few minutes ago. Things were calm once again on the school roof as they continued with their lunch.

"You midget!"

"You wanna make something of it, carrot top!"

The sudden screaming that ended the short-lived peace got everyone's attention. They all hung their heads low in defeat as the two continued to battle it out. Nobody knew how these two became friends since they've been screaming and kicking (at least Rukia was) since they first met… heck, they're not even sure if they should call the arguing idiots' relationship, "friendship." But they cannot deny that ever since Rukia transferred to their class, she and Ichigo seemed oddly close.

"Next time buy your own juice box bitch!"

"I wouldn't need another one if you hadn't stepped on mine earlier, strawberry."

Yup. Their relationship was very strange, just like their nicknames for each other.

"Can you guys shut up now?" Uryuu asked.

The two finally turned their heads away from each other with a 'hmph,' while everyone else around them just rolled their eyes.

"Geez, you two need to stop your lover's quarrel in public," Matsumoto said.

The two suddenly glared at her. "We're not 'lovers!'" they both shouted simultaneously.

"Shesh, fine, keep denying yourselves," she said, turning away before they could reply.

Rukia gapped at her. "Matsumoto-san, let me clarify: we're not 'lovers!' Really!"

"Uh-huh," she merely shrugged her shoulders as she played with her hairs.

"Matsu—"

"Don't bother," Ichigo interrupted her, "That idiot won't listen to anyone other than herself."

"And the fashion magazines," Ikkaku added.

"Oh! By the way," Matsumoto suddenly perked up, completely ignoring what they were just talking about, "I'm having a birthday party this weekend! Everyone is invited!" She was expecting a huge cheer from her friends but instead got no response. She glared at everyone before taking in a deep breath to pull out her secret weapon. "There's going to be booze," she added and she was immediately answered with enthusiastic replies.

"I'm there!"

"I want to go!"

"What time?"

"How much booze?"

"Where are you getting those?"

"Drunken-women-paradise!"

"Shut up, Keigo!"

---

_Knock knock._

Ichigo waited but there was no response.

_Knock knock._

Again, nothing. He was starting to get impatient.

_Bam Bam!_

Ichigo slammed his fist against the door.

"HURRY UP MIDGET!" Ichigo yelled.

"HOLD YOUR HORSES, YOU ASSHOLE!" Rukia's voice loudly came from above him. Ichigo stepped back and looked up to see her head sticking out from the window that was directly above the beaten-up door. "I'M ALMOST READY!"

"Tsch, annoying midget" Ichigo snorted as crossed his arms across his chest. He walked around the front yard when the door suddenly swung open. He turned around to scream at her for taking so long, but stopped when, instead of Rukia, he was greeted by an old woman who was smiling warmly at him.

"You must be Ichigo," she held out her hand which Ichigo took and shook. "I'm Yume, Rukia's grandmother."

"H-how do you do?" Ichigo bowed, "Um, sorry about the banging… and the shouting."

Yume smiled. "No problem. I often hear Rukia yelling these days. And it seems most of the time it's when you call her."

Ichigo didn't know how to reply back, so he just smiled and nodded.

Yume opened the door even wider. "Com'on in. I think Rukia is going to take a lot longer."

Ichigo immediately walked through the door, already liking Yume a lot more than Rukia. He followed the elderly woman into the living room where she offered him some cookies.

"I must thank you," Yume started, "For taking such good care of Rukia at school. I was afraid she wouldn't get along at her new school but it seems she's enjoying herself there very much."

Ichigo nervously chuckled. "Not a problem. She doesn't make any trouble… in fact, she _is_ the trouble."

Yume laughed loudly. "Yes, before she was adopted, Rukia would always cause so much trouble around here. My husband—bless his heart—would often get so stressed out because of her, but he would immediately forgive her when she starts pouting."

Ichigo nodded in understanding of where Yume's husband was coming from. After all, how often did her pouts make him forget his anger and make him do whole bunch of silly things for her?

"I'm ready."

Ichigo looked up. He swore he felt his jaw hit the ground.

Matsumoto strictly told everyone that they had to dress up formally. Why? Well, she was just a classy girl. So Ichigo was wearing a nice pair of clean, black dress-pants and a button-up, crimson shirt, with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows to keep him cool. Even though this attire might not seem formal, on him it did. But he was nothing compared to the woman standing at the bottom of the stairs in front of him.

Rukia was wearing a black, strapless dress hugged her from the chest to her hips, and from there on it effortlessly flowed out until her knees. And there was a red flower embroidered at the bottom of the dress that flowed with the dress.

Rukia stared at her friend and smiled sweetly as a blush came across her cheeks. "What do you think?"

Ichigo did not know how to respond. He just kept staring at her with his mouth wide open. He was only able to get out of the trance when Yume slapped him hard on the back. "You look amazing!" Ichigo blurted out before he could stop himself. Realizing what he just did, he quickly turned away before she could see his blush. He could see Yume smiling, rather mischievously, from the corner of his eye.

"Well don't you two look handsome!" Yume exclaimed, "Let's take a picture!"

"Obaachan," Rukia awkwardly smiled as she approached them, "It's getting really late. Maybe next time—"

Before she could finish Yume suddenly brought out a handkerchief and dabbed at her fake tears. "Of course, you're late for the party. I should have known better than asking my only granddaughter for a picture when she has to go to meet her friends. I just wanted a picture of her in a beautiful dress with a handsome young man before I die. I guess I won't have a picture to take with me when I go see your grandfather."

Rukia started to freak out as her grandmother continued. "Okay, okay! I get it!" She grabbed Ichigo's arm and dragged him to stand next to her. "Let's take some pictures," she said.

Ichigo just dumbly nodded when he felt her arms tightening around his own. He stood up straight and tried to smile somewhat as Yume brought out her camera from behind her (when did she have that all prepared?).

"Okay, say 'cheese'!" she said as she started taking picture_s_. After getting blinded from the flash that went off a million times, Ichigo and Rukia finally escaped her house and headed towards Matsumoto's.

For some reason there was an awkward silence between the two. They had a good distance between them as they walked. Several times the two tried to bring up a conversation, but it immediately died in the wind. This was the first time either of them were this quiet and awkward around each other.

But whenever a man walked by and eyed Rukia, Ichigo would quickly stand next to her and send the man (or men) a threatening glare. As soon as the unwanted stranger was gone, he would distance himself from her again. Rukia would have argued that she could very well take care of herself, but for some reason she felt vulnerable tonight, and didn't mind Ichigo protecting her.

Finally, after what seemed like hours of silence, the two reached the front of Matsumoto's house. It was quite large, but not large enough to be a mansion. Still, many people, in elegant attire, could be seen inside.

"Well," Ichigo cleared his throat as he scratched the back of his head, "Let's go and get this over with."

Rukia nodded and raised her hand to press the doorbell.

_Ding dong._

In less than a second the door swung wide open with a grinning Matsumoto on the other side of the door. "YOU GUYS MADE IT!" she squealed as she lunged at them for a hug.

"Ara, Happy Birthday, Matsumoto-san," Rukia choked out.

"Thank you!" She finally pulled away and brought them inside. "Almost everyone is here. There's food and drinks on that table over there," she pointed as she closed the door. "Feel free to do whatever you want. My parents are out for the weekend so there are no rules!" Before Ichigo or Rukia could ask anything, the strawberry-blonde pranced away to meet up with her other friends.

Rukia looked around the crowded room and frowned. "There are way too many people."

Ichigo nodded. "Wanna go sit down?" Soon as Rukia nodded, Ichigo grabbed her hand and led her through the massive crowd. After weaving left and right the two reached the couch with the table of refreshment standing next to them. Once Rukia situated herself in her seat, Ichigo went over and grabbed some glasses of punch for each of them.

"Here," he extended a cup to her, "This is the only thing that's non-alcohol."

"Thanks," Rukia smiled as she took her cup and drank the content inside. When Ichigo sat down next to her, she leaned over and shouted over the loud music. "What do you think of the party?!"

Ichigo shrugged his shoulders. "I think it's too loud and too crowded! Do we even know half of these people?!"

Rukia shook her head as she leaned back in the couch. "I think we shouldn't have come!"

"Oh!" Ichigo glared at her, "And who was it that forced me to come here wearing these uncomfortable clothes!"

Rukia rolled her eyes. "At least you don't look bad," she mumbled off to the side, knowing Ichigo wouldn't be able to hear it.

"So what do you want to do now?" Ichigo asked.

Rukia tapped her lips in thought as she scanned the room. It was an amazing sight. Some people were having a drinking competition—Ikkaku and Matsumoto included—while others were making out. Some were even getting beaten up by Tatsuki and Renji. The party was really getting out of proportion. "I don't know," she shrugged her shoulders, "What do you think?"

Ichigo also looked around and frowned. "I want to get out of here," he replied.

Rukia quickly slapped his arm as she downed her drink before standing up. "Com'on," she pulled him up on his feet.

"We are we going?" he asked.

"Dancing," she said as she grabbed his hand and started to lead him to where most of the people had gathered around the loud stereos.

"Rukia!" Ichigo gapped at her. But when she didn't even turn around to acknowledge his uncertainty, he downed his cup as well before setting it down somewhere and reluctantly followed her. At least it was better than doing nothing. Before he knew it, Ichigo was standing in the middle of the crowd with Rukia standing really close to him. He gulped.

"Do you know how to dance?" she shouted over the noise.

He shook his head.

Rukia sighed as she grabbed his hands and placed them on her waist. Ichigo reminded himself to thank Matsumoto for dimming the lights, making it hard to see the bright blush on his face. "Just follow me," she said as she stepped even closer and gently placed her hands on his upper arms.

The upbeat music ended and immediately a slow music started to play. But Ichigo really wasn't paying attention to it. For some reason his vision was starting to get fuzzy, but it only made Rukia look cuter. She slowly started moving them side to side, following the flow of the music as she leaned closer. He looked down at her and smiled when he saw the concentrated look on her face. "What's the matter?" he asked.

Rukia shook her head. "I'm starting to feel a bit light headed. And I'm not liking this music."

A chuckle came from him as he held her closer. "You already got me dancing so don't back out on me now. I don't want to be left hanging in this group of idiots."

Rukia laughed. "Don't worry. They're all pretty drunk so none of them will recognize you."

"Is that why you decided to dance?"

She merely replied with a smile as she laid her head against his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck, which was possible with the heels she was wearing. Ichigo just buried his nose into her hair and inhaled the sweet lavender scent that seemed to naturally emanate from her.

"You know," she started, "this night isn't turning out that bad."

Ichigo smirked against her hair. "What's with the sudden change in mind?" he asked.

Rukia paused, not saying anything before slightly pulling back just enough to look up at him while the rest of their bodies were still pressed up against each other. They stared into each other's eyes and a sweet smile spread across her lips. "You're here," she slowly replied, "What more could I possibly want?"

Ichigo's eyes widened for a second before getting sucked into her violet orbs. Before he knew it, his face started to lower closer to her. "Rukia," he breathed out, his punch-infested breath fanning over her warm face with a hint of something else that she couldn't make out.

"Ichigo…" she sighed as his lips slowly sought hers out. The moment they felt their lips touching each other lightly like feathers, a shiver ran throughout their bodies, forcing them to press against each other with more force. Moans escaped their throats as they held each other tighter.

They never realized when they entered an empty room. They never even considered what might happen when Ichigo fell over Rukia and onto the bed. They certainly never expected what was to come.

* * *

A/N; Anyone who read the summary pretty much should know what's going to happen next.

The kiss came too quickly, but I did this because I do not want to focus too much on the development of their friendship; that was what the previous chapter was for. And the unnecessary part with the popsicles...I just had to include the other characters some way or another. And I wanted to put some comedy here...although it didn't come out so well because it didn't focus enough on Ichigo and Rukia. But don't worry because after this I'm not going to write too much about the others but purely focus on our heroes and what's to come.

Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!

Preview for next chapter:

The morning after...oh the awkwardness!


	4. The Morning After

**Author's Note: I was so happy when I got so many reviews from you guys! They really kept my spirits up! **

**I think I picked the right title for this chapter seeing how it literally is the morning after**.** Read and see how Ichigo and Rukia are going to deal with this situation!**

**...Don't have anything else to say so just scroll down and read!**

**Disclaimer: **I do Not own Bleach

* * *

Chapter 4: The Morning After

* * *

Rukia groaned in annoyance when the sun came out and shone brightly through the windows, slowly pulling her out of her dreams. Clenching her eyes tighter she shifted positions, trying to get rid of the light that was trying to end her delicious dream.

This was the first time she ever had such a dream: where a handsome man was kissing her deeply as they held each other…

Okay, so maybe he's not handsome since he really didn't have a face. But he had one hot body that made up for it!

Anyways getting back to the dream, Rukia couldn't stop a giggle when his strong arms tightened around her waist. For some reason they were both naked so they could feel every courtier of each other's body and it was nice.

"Mhmm," she moaned as she wiggled deeper into his embrace. She was immediately greeted by a tighter hug and a sigh that send his warm breath all over her bare skin. Goosebumps rose up and she giggled.

"Eun," a manly grunt came from behind her and that was all that she needed to realize she wasn't dreaming.

Rukia's eyes snapped opened and her entire body stiffened, not sure what was happening. Her big eyes roamed around the unfamiliar room and she was starting to sweat. But when she felt the arm around her waist—"AHHHHH!" she screamed.

Ichigo, who was dreaming of a beautiful woman in his embrace, was violently woken when an ear-splitting scream ripped through his ear. His eyes widened when he realized that he wasn't dreaming. "AHHHH!" he screamed.

They both stared at each other for a second, confirming in their heads that they were both naked and embracing each other just seconds before, before screaming even louder.

"GET AWAY!" she screamed as she pushed him away. The hard push toppled Ichigo over the other side of the bed…without the covers. "ICHIGO!" Rukia screeched this time as she covered her eyes with her hands.

"SHIT!" he cursed as he quickly grabbed the closest thing—the pillow—and covered up his private part with a burning red face. "I didn't mean it!" he defended himself.

"I know," she groaned into her hands as she looked away.

The two became quiet again as they remained frozen in their spot.

"D-did we…" he trailed off, the blush deepening as he looked around their setting, anywhere but at the woman on the bed.

"I…I don't—shit," Rukia cursed when she twisted her body the wrong way, sending a sharp pain between her legs. Ichigo looked up at her when he heard her whimpering. His eyebrows furrowed even more when he realized how uncomfortably she was sitting. Rukia also frowned as she realized what this meant. "Maybe, I guess…Yeah, we did."

"Fuck," he cursed again.

"…Yeah."

The two remained quiet, not daring to move in case it broke the silence. It was still taking them some time to accept what this meant in their lives. They were no longer virgins; their friendship would never be the same again.

Ichigo finally moved as he reached for his clothes, which he had located at the foot of the bed. "Here," he quietly handed her some of her own clothes as he quickly got on his boxers and a pair of slacks. Rukia just held her black dress, frowning at it. When Ichigo noticed she wasn't moving, he looked up and asked, "What's wrong?"

Rukia looked at him, slightly blushing. "Um, a-are my un-under…garments down there?" she asked, her voice slightly trailing off.

Ichigo also blushed as he looked away. And his eyes immediately narrowed in on a pair of black, lacy bra and panties that appeared familiar, his mind probably remembering them from the night before. "Um, yeah," he coughed as he picked it up and handed it to her, looking away to hide his blush.

"Thanks," she whispered as she quickly grabbed the rest of her clothes. Checking to make sure he wasn't looking, Rukia threw the covers over her shoulders and quickly got on whatever she could.

Ichigo looked off to the side even though she was all covered. He merely slipped on his shirt, not bothering to button it up as he waited for an 'okay' to look back. "You ready?"

"…yeah," Rukia replied as she slowly slipped out from under the covers. She straightened the black dress from the previous day, but no matter what she did it was extremely wrinkled. As she got on her feet, her legs started to shake from the sore muscles. She held onto the bed as she steadied herself.

"You need help?" Ichigo asked as he watched her struggling on her feet.

"No," she sighed as she started to walk over to the other side of the bed where Ichigo was standing. When she appeared a foot in front of him, she looked over at the rumpled bed. "I can't believe this really happened…"

Ichigo followed her example and stared at the bed. His hands clenched into fists. "I'm going to go look for Matsumoto," he mumbled as he headed to the door.

Rukia was suddenly pulled out of her thought when she heard him. "Huh? What…Ichigo!" she gasped when he abruptly left the room. She chased after him. "Ichi—ah!" After only a few steps, Rukia's leg gave out and suddenly started to fall.

Ichigo was already out the door when he heard her gasping from pain. He turned around and reached out just in time to catch Rukia who was falling towards him. "Wah!" he also fell over and landed on the floor with her on top. He cringed when the back of his head connected with the hard ground. "Fuck," he cursed.

"Oh, sorry," Rukia apologized as she tried to get up. She placed her hands on his chest and tried to push herself up when his bare muscular skin stopped her. He also stiffened when he felt her hands on his open chest. The two looked at each other as something flashed across both their minds.

_Flashback_

"_I—Ichi—Ichigo!" she breathlessly gasped._

"_Rukia!" He grunted in pleasure._

_End of Flashback_

With a gasp, Rukia quickly pushed herself away, turning around to cover her blush. Ichigo was also pulled from his trance when Rukia left his chest. He quickly sat up and also looked away, making sure to button up his shirt this time.

"Um. Sorry about that," Rukia said off to the side.

"Uh, no, that's okay," Ichigo mumbled, scratching the back of his head at the awkwardness around them. After a second he got up and stretched out a hand to her. "Com'on. Let's go to Matsumoto."

Rukia looked at his hand before gently placing her own on top of his, accepting his help. When she got on her two feet again, she dusted her clothes as she spoke. "Hey, what are you planning to do when you see Matsumoto?"

Ichigo shrugged his shoulders. "Ask her why she spiked the punch. That's the only thing I remember drinking last night."

At the mentioning of the drink, Rukia suddenly realized the sharp headache that's been pounding away at her temples all this time. "Oh, so we were drunk…"

"What else did you think it was?" Ichigo raised an eyebrow at her.

She shrugged her shoulders as she followed him out the spare bedroom that they were just in. "I never thought the punch would be spiked. And I definitely didn't expect this might happen."

Ichigo scowled as he led her to the stairs to go down. "I'm going to go have a talk with her."

"But what good will that do?" Rukia asked, "I doubt Matsumoto or anyone else planned this to happen either. It's an accident."

"Still, nothing would have happened if the punch wasn't spiked in the first place."

Rukia sighed as she carefully took each step. Once they got to the first floor, they looked around to notice how empty the huge house was. "Where is everyone?"

"Probably still dead from last night," Ichigo answered as he made his way to the living room. And sure enough they came across ten people snoring away on the couch and the carpet, completely passed out and surrounded by empty bottles of alcohol.

"Should we wake them?" Rukia asked as she poked Renji on the forehead, causing the man to groan and swap her hand away in his sleep.

"I don't know, what do you think?"

Rukia looked up at him and smirked. In less than a minute the two had ear plugs in their ears and a pair of pots in their hands.

"One, two…Three!"

The two started banging the pots together really loud that it rang across the entire house.

"AHHH!!!" Everyone screamed from their rude awakening.

"EUGH!" they all cringed when they got up too fast and the hangover shot right through their temples. But Ichigo and Rukia continued banging.

"STOP THAT!" Ikkaku screamed as he tried to kick them but he was too far away.

"AH! Are you two trying to kill us?!" Matsumoto screamed.

"YES!" Ichigo snapped at her as they stopped the noise, "You have a lot of explaining to do! Why the hell was the punch spiked?!"

"What are you talking about?" she asked, her face contorting from the massive headache. "Ow, my head. Can somebody hand me some aspirin?"

"That sounds nice. Get me one too," Renji moaned.

Ichigo quickly retorted by kicking him in the head.

"What's going on?"

Everyone grudgingly looked up to see Uryuu and Orihime walking down the stairs, both as disoriented as Ichigo and Rukia.

Upon seeing them, Matsumoto immediately perked up. "Why are you two coming down together?" she asked when an accusing grin came across her lips. "Did you two…"

"NO!" they both shouted, although their faces were turning bright red.

Ikkaku, who was finally pulling himself together, looked up to smirk as well. "I think you two did. Did you two get drunk last night and had sex?"

Ichigo and Rukia unconsciously gulped.

Uryuu scoffed. "Please, I'm not the type to lose my conscience or my manners after only a few drinks."

For some reason Ichigo felt like he just made fun of him.

"And he was kind enough to take care of me while I was still a bit drunk," Orihime smiled sweetly, "He was so sweet that I allowed him to accompany me the rest of the night."

For some reason Rukia felt like she was being looked down on.

"But did you two sleep together?" Matsumoto kept wiggling her eyebrows at them suggestively.

Uryuu cleared his throat as he looked away.

"Aha! I knew it!—ow," Matsumoto cringed when her own booming voice triggered another headache.

"But we only slept together," Orihime said, but it just got her even more grins from the others. "Ah, I meant _sleeping_, not _that_!"

Renji laughed. "Sure, whatever you say."

"It's true!" Uryuu added but the others kept making fun of them.

Off to the side, Ichigo and Rukia could only watch on as Uryuu and Orihime were being attacked for sleeping together. They original mission to talk to Matsumoto completely disappeared as the two silently slipped away to the kitchen.

"That was a bit weird," Ichigo commented.

"You're telling me," she sighed in return, "I don't think it's safe to let them know what happened."

"I agree," he nodded back.

"Tell them what happened?"

Ichigo and Rukia stiffened at the third voice that was coming closer to them from behind. They slowly turned around to see Tatsuki staring at them with an accusing look.

"M-morning," Rukia tried to smile but her voice ended up stuttering.

An eyebrow went up. "Did something happen between you two?" Tatsuki asked.

Ichigo nervously chuckled as he tried to act normal while getting some water. "What are you talking about—"

"Is that a hickey!" she gasped out loud, causing the two to stiffen.

"WHAT?!"

In less than a second the others were in the kitchen to stare at the large hickey on Rukia's neck.

"WHERE DID YOU GET THAT?!" they all screamed, causing them all to cringe in pain the next second.

"Please stop screaming," Rukia begged.

Hinamori came forward and swept Rukia's raven locks away to take a closer look at the love bite. And there was more than one. "Who gave you these?" she giggled.

Rukia blushed as she brought up her hand to cover her neck. "I-it's nothing!"

"That isn't 'nothing,'" Tatsuki said, "It looks like you got attacked by someone. Who—" her voice suddenly trailed off and simultaneously everyone turned their head to stare at Ichigo who was sweating out buckets.

Renji's eyes widened as he pointed an accusing finger at him. "You…"

Ichigo tried to retort but nothing came out of his mouth. That was all they needed.

"Ichigo! You dog!" Ikkaku jumped forward and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "I didn't know you had it in you!"

"WHAT?!" Ichigo gawked at him.

Matsumoto laughed out loud as she slapped him hard on the back. "You finally got rid of your virginity! Welcome to the world of adults!"

Ichigo scowled as he pushed them away. "Shut up!"

"Kuchiki-san!" Keigo came flying in as he wrapped his arms around her. "How did my delicate flower get plucked by—AUGH!" he grunted when a muscular arm came around his neck to pull him off.

"Leave her alone," Ichigo growled as he ripped Keigo away from a flabbergasted Rukia.

"Aw, is Kurosaki possessive?" Matsumoto snickered.

"Shut up!" he shouted again.

"Looks like there are two new couples!" she squealed, ignoring his screams, "Ishida finally proved he wasn't a pansy by asking Orihime out last night—"

"Oi!" Uryuu blushed but she just continued with her ranting.

"—and now Kurosaki and Kuchiki-san finally had sex last night, getting rid of the sexual tension that's been between them since the first day they met!"

"Oi!" Ichigo shouted this time.

"Let's celebrate with more beer!" she cheered as she rushed to her refrigerator to grab whatever was leftover from the previous night. Shockingly, completely forgetting their hangover, most of the people joined her in the 'celebration.'

Ichigo slipped away from the crazy group and joined Rukia who had ran off to a corner while Matsumoto was attacking him. "This is fucked up," he muttered.

She nodded. "I agree."

Uryuu suddenly came up to them and asked, "So is what she said true?"

"What?" Ichigo deadpanned.

The four-eyes rolled his eyes. "I'm talking about you and Kuchiki-san having had…you know…"

The two groaned as they looked away. "I don't want to answer that," he muttered.

Uryuu looked between the two before sighing. "I knew something was going to happen but not something this big. Seriously, just how sexually frustrated were you two that you did ended up doing _it_?"

Ichigo glared at him. "What are you talking about? This wasn't something we planned."

"Whatever," he dismissed his retort with a wave of his hand. But before Ichigo could snap back, Tatsuki and Orihime came over to their group with worried looks.

"Kuchiki," Tatsuki started, "How are you feeling?"

Rukia looked at her two friends and awkwardly smiled. "A bit off."

"Com'on, we'll help you get into more comfortable clothes," Orihime said, pointing at her wrinkled dress.

"Thanks," she nodded as she followed her lead.

Ichigo watched from his spot as his 'friend' disappeared from his sight. He ran a hand through his messy hair, leaning against the wall to support himself. "I can't believe what happened."

"You should have kept it in your pants," Tatsuki suggested.

He glared at her. "I was drunk. I didn't know _this_ would happen."

"So you admit you two actually did it."

Ichigo grunted as he looked away. He stared off at the craziness in the kitchen, feeling his irritation growing. "What should I do? For some reason I feel like the bad guy."

"That's because you're a man," Chad said, suddenly appearing out of nowhere with his usual quietness that was unusual for someone of his stature.

"I feel like I just ruined Rukia's life," he sighed.

Uryuu patted his shoulder. "Don't try and kill yourself for something that wasn't your fault. I might have been placed in the same situation with you if Orihime didn't fall asleep on me last night." The three friends immediately stared at him, making Uryuu realize his mistakes. "No, I mean—"

"You mean what?" Tatsuki gritted her teeth as she raised her fist.

"Down girl," Renji came over and grabbed her elbow to keep her restrained. "He didn't do anything so leave him alone. The guy you should be pointing that fist at is _that_ guy," he nodded at the orange head.

Ichigo glared at him. "Fucking bastard."

Renji glared back. "I still can't believe you slept with the new girl. This is going to bring a bad reputation to our school."

"It won't if you guys just keep this quiet," Ichigo said.

Uryuu shook his head. "Not possible with _that_ group," he pointed towards the people who were getting drunk for the second time in less than 24 hours.

Ichigo stared at them before sighing in defeat. "I'm screwed."

"So what are you going to do now?" Chad asked.

Ichigo shook his orange head. "I don't know."

---

Rukia looked from the corner of her eyes only to see Ichigo scowling more than usual. She sighed as she played with the handles of the paper bag that was now holding her wrinkled dress from the night before. Orihime had found her some clothes in Matsumoto's closet (which oddly fit her body…that girl does wear smaller clothes than her actual body size) and was now being walked home by Ichigo.

"Sorry."

Rukia looked up when he finally spoke. "Huh?"

"Sorry," Ichigo said again, "You know…about last night…"

"Oh," she looked back down, frowning a bit. "But it's not your fault."

The two stopped when they arrived at her front door. But neither of them moved as the silence became more uncomfortable. Finally he responded. "But it feels like it is."

She looked over at him as her eyebrows started to furrow. "But it isn't."

"I should have been stronger and stop myself from taking advantage of you," he continued, "And now I took away the one thing from you without your consent and I—"

"Ichigo," she quickly cut him off.

The said man stopped his ranting and stared deeply into her eyes, not daring to say anything as he waited.

Taking in a deep breath, Rukia stepped closer and gently placed a hand over his heart. "I know you would _never_ do anything to hurt me. I know you and your heart too well. So I do not blame you for what happened."

"But—"

"SO!" she continued, "Don't think I want you to hold responsibility when this is neither of our faults."

Ichigo frowned at her, not sure how to take her words. "But…will this affect our friendship?"

Rukia's eyes widened for a second before she took a step back. She looked away, not sure how to address this topic. "I…I don't want things to be different."

"But we cannot deny what happened," he said.

"I know," she sighed, "And I also know it's going to take awhile to get comfortable around each other again."

Ichigo nodded as he looked at her. "But we can try."

After a second pause, Rukia looked back at him with a small smile. "We can try."

He nodded again as he took two steps back. "So I'll see you at school?"

She nodded back as she reached for her door, still looking at him with a slight smile. "Yeah. I'll see you at school."

_Few Weeks Later_

Rukia felt her insides being turned inside out as more of her breakfast started to rush out of her body. She coughed at the burning sensation in her throat, tears threatening to fall from the corner of her eyes. The feeling, the sound, the taste and the stench was starting to get to her as she quickly flushed it all down as soon as she had stopped.

She took in several deep breaths as she pulled herself away from the toilet. But the moment she stood up, she had to lean against the cool wall to stop herself from falling as her legs trembled. In fact, her entire body was trembling from pain, exhaustion and nervousness. Her eyes slowly turned to stare at the little stick that was resting by the sink, still a minute to go before anything pops up.

_Knock knock._

"_Rukia? Dear, are you alright?"_

Hearing her grandmother on the other side of the door, she swallowed whatever was in her throat and replied with a hoarse voice. "I'm fine. I'll be out in a minute."

"…_Okay. I'll be downstairs so call me if you need anything."_

Rukia didn't respond but instead slowly pushed herself off the wall and took stammering steps to the sink as she reached for the stick. Taking in a huge breath, she grabbed both ends and lifted it up to read the results.

Two blue lines.

As the new information started to settle in, Rukia's hands started to tremble before she dropped the positive pregnancy test on the ground. She reached behind her for the wall where she slumped against it, following its path to the ground, next to the life-changing test. Even as her butt hit the cold, hard floor, she refused to react as she stared blankly ahead.

Everything was turning out for the worst.

The world slowly came crashing down on her and she started to recognize what this might entail: giving up school, staying away from her brother, supporting her growing family with a low-income job, telling the father—

The last thought made her body tense. It dawned on her that Ichigo didn't know about the baby. And what might be entailed for _him_ when he does find out. He would most likely be burdened even more than herself if he was to know.

Unwanted tears finally sprung from her eyes as she curled up into a tight ball. "Ichigo," she silently cried.

* * *

A/N: I just had to add the little last bit just to keep you guys anticipating the next chapter (I know I'm evil).

I thought this came out to be a pretty decent chapter (I know I liked it more than the previous one). I'm going to slow things down now that I'm writing the main storyline. Things are going to be epic. Also, to readers who are patiently waiting for this story to end before reading the sequel, I'm sorry it's taking too slow to upload. I will try to write more for you guys...but you don't have to take that silly challenge. You can go ahead and read the sequel. But if you are set on waiting, then I will work extra hard.

Thanks for reading and don't forget to click on that green button down there to review!!!!

Preview for next chapter:

Will Rukia tell Ichigo? Or run away?


	5. Finding Out

**Author's Note: HELLO! I'm back with another chapter for all my lovely readers!!! Thanks again for all the love. It's great to get reviews for the sequel of this story and getting so much encouragement. I will work harder to bring out exciting chapters.**

**Someone asked me how long I'm going to make this story...hopefully less than 20 chapters but at the moment I'm not entirely sure (so many changes here and there in the plotline that I'm getting confused O.o). This story won't be as long as the other stories but not too short that it isn't epic. I want to show our favorite couple dealing with a baby at their age. AND IN THIS CHAPTER ICHIGO FINDS OUT RUKIA IS PREGNANT!!!!!!!!**

**Read and find out!**

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Bleach

* * *

Chapter 5: Finding Out

* * *

Seven weeks.

Seven fucking weeks have passed since that incident and Rukia hadn't been talking to him for the last few of them.

No matter what Ichigo did she would just glare at him and walk away. Which was confusing him even more! Didn't they agree that it wasn't either of their faults but the fucking bastard who spiked the punch? So why was she acting like he took advantage of her?!

So yeah, there were some flashback moments when Ichigo clearly remembered hitting on Rukia…but she was hitting him back!

The orange head bit the inside of his lip to stop himself from groaning as his eyes peered over at the empty desk next to him. It was starting to bother him even more now that Rukia hadn't been at school for the past few days.

Her grandmother called in about her having some bad stomach flu that wasn't leaving her system easily. But that was just making their situation worse. Since Rukia was sick, she was probably even angrier at him since her emotion was all fucked up. And what's more, since they can't talk, Ichigo just ends up being the bad guy.

_But I'm innocent!_

The minute hand on the clock slowly ticked as it moved, deducting another minute away before school was out.

_Only five minutes to go_, he thought to himself as he blankly stared at the board. His teacher was going on about some war during the Tokogawa period but it just wasn't interesting for him. His mind was completely overtaken by an annoying midget.

And thinking of Rukia brought back short flashbacks of their night together. A blush formed on his cheeks as Ichigo smoothly moved his hand to cover his face as he pretended to hide a yawn. Luckily, it seemed nobody had noticed.

He glared at the clock, trying to force it to go faster but the damn bastard wouldn't listen to him. In the end, he could only move around in his seat in order to keep his mind off of Rukia.

"Now, don't forget to read chapter ten by tomorrow," the teacher said, "The test is next week—"

_Ding ding ding!_

Before he even had a chance to finish announcing his assignments, the students were already running out the door. "I'll be assigning more work tomorrow!" he shouted after the fleeing students.

But Ichigo was already out the front gates and slowly walking further away from school. He waved his farewells to his friends as he turned the corner. He had already decided to go to Rukia, determined to figure things out between them.

As he made his way to the familiar house, Ichigo practiced over and over again in his head what he was going to say to her.

_I'm not at fault._

_Let's not ruin our friendship because of this._

_Hey! That hurt midget!_

Yes, he had _all_ the possible reactions ready to use when the time comes. Before he knew it, he was standing in front of the house that will either become a battlefield or a place that takes loads off his shoulders in the next few minutes. He just stared at the front door for several minutes, contemplating whether or not to actually go inside and do what he was planning to do since school got out.

Time continued to tick away as Ichigo battled it out in his mind. To go in or not to go in. That was the question…But to save his dignity and save their friendship, he will go IN!

Taking in a deep breath, Ichgo stepped forward and slowly rung the door bell.

_DING DOOOONG!_

For some reason the bell sounded a lot louder than it usually was and a lot longer too. He was kind of hoping nobody would hear the bell, but sadly he heard the locks being undone from the inside.

Ichigo gulped as the door slowly opened. He prepared for the inevitable bashing he would get once Rukia saw him—

"Ara, who might this be?"

When he noticed it was Yume greeting him at the door. "Yume-san, is Rukia home?" he asked after clearing his throat.

The old woman opened her door to let him in as she answered. "She had gone out to get something from the store. She'll be back in a few minutes."

Ichigo frowned. "Should she be outside when she's sick with the flu?" He expected the old woman to answer but instead she started laughing out loud. "Um, am I missing something?"

"Come sit down first," she told him as she went to the kitchen to grab some refreshment for her guest. "Would you like some juice or yea?"

"Juice is fine," he said as he sat down in their living room. As Yume prepared the drinks, he looked around where he was. Last time he was here—which was the night of the incident—he hadn't had the time to look around because they were running late for the party.

He noticed pictures of Yume and her husband, both of them in black-and-white from when they were young, and the colorful pictures of them, older, with little Rukia standing in between them. All three of them were smiling widely in each picture and it looked like nothing could get in their way of their happiness.

However, there were some pictures of Rukia, older than the previous pictures, with a fake smile. Ichigo knew these were pictures she had sent to Yume after getting adopted. For some reason he felt a sharp tug on his chest.

"Here we are," Yume announced as she sat down and handed him a glass of orange juice. She sat across from him with her cup of tea and smiled. "So, why do you need to talk to Rukia?"

Ichigo almost coughed out his drink. "Um, well…it's a bit of a private matter between her and me."

Yume smiled as she said, "I'm guessing it has something to do with the party seven weeks ago?"

This time Ichigo did spit out the juice. He coughed as he tried to clear his throat. "H-how dddid you know?!"

Yume kept her smile as she sipped her tea. "Because she's pregnant."

"…"

Dead silence.

Then…

"W-what?"

Yume nodded. "She's pregnant. Seven weeks now."

Ichigo's throat suddenly went dry and he felt like he was about to black out.

Pregnant.

Seven weeks.

Pregnant.

_Knocked up._

"FUCK!" he cursed as he buried his head into his hands. "I—Rukia…fuck! How did—shit!…That night—SEVEN WEEKS!"

Yume nodded again. "We found out for sure last week when we went to the hospital. But I must say you're taking this better than Rukia. The child fainted when she heard the news."

"I'm about to faint too," he groaned as he rubbed his face. "This cannot be happening." He sighed as he looked between his fingers to see Yume still sipping her tea as she stared at him. A whole bunch of things were going through his mind at the moment, and something unthinkable also came up. "Yume-san? Did Rukia say anything about whether or not she wanted to keep…_it_?" he asked.

Yume stilled with her cup half-way down, and her eyes hardened. "What do you mean by that?"

Noticing how wrong that might have been misinterpreted, Ichigo quickly waved his hands in front of him as he shook his head. "No no no no no no! I didn't mean—I mean, um…"

"Rukia said she's going to keep it," Yume said, "And I must say I'm proud to know she's going to take responsibility for her actions. But what I want to know is what _you_ want to do? She told me you were the father and what happened at the party so I won't hold you at fault for what happened to my granddaughter. But that doesn't mean I'll let this go if you decide to back out."

As her words sunk in, 'guilt' sunk in with it. Ichigo's shoulders slumped down. "I'll take responsibility. I'm not a bastard who's going to leave a friend to take care of something that we're both not at fault with."

At his words, Yume's smile reappeared, bright as ever. "That's good to hear. I can't believe I get to hold my great-grandchild before I die."

"You're taking this really lightly," Ichigo groaned as he sat back into the couch. "I would have beaten me until I was a bloody pulp."

"I had ever intention to do that when I first found out you were the father. But Rukia calmed me down, saying you weren't at fault. She told me to kill the person who spiked the punch instead."

"When you find out who that is, tell me and I'll join you in the killing," Ichigo sighed. "So what do we do now?"

Yume shrugged her shoulders. "If you two don't decide to marry, then Rukia and I will take care of the baby ourselves."

Ichigo immediately shook his head. "I already said I'm going to take responsibility for the baby. I'm willing to marry her, but we might move in here since I don't want my old man near her or the baby."

Yume's face darkened. "Will your family not accept the baby?"

Again Ichigo shook his head. "More like they will be so ecstatic about the baby that they might throw a huge party and invite the whole town. The old goat will definitely ask for details in the conception process and hug Rukia to death."

She was a little taken aback by his reason. "Your family wants a baby that much?"

This time Ichigo nodded. "My dad's been begging me to knock up a girl ever since I hit puberty. If we were living back in the old days, I bet he would have married me off to someone before turning ten."

"Well, that's truly a funny family," she smiled, "But I don't think you can live here."

"Why not?" Ichigo frowned.

"We have to move soon," she announced.

Another round of silence. Ichigo leaned forward and frowned. "What?"

Yume nodded. "We're tight with money so we decided to leave this house for a much smaller one," she informed him, "We have to be out by the end of next week."

"And where are you guys planning to go?" Ichigo asked.

The old woman shrugged her delicate shoulders. "Wherever we can find the cheapest place. We have to move as soon as possible."

"And I'm guessing Rukia didn't want me to know about the baby because you guys might move far away from here."

"And you might end up ruining your future with an unexpected child coming," she added. "I tried to convince her to talk to you but she refused. If she wasn't out right now, I doubt you would have found out at all."

Ichigo sighed as he felt 'responsibility' land on his shoulders this time, increasing the weight. "There's no way I'm letting her or the baby leave me now that I know."

"But what can we do?" Yume asked, "She's been searching for an apartment far away from Karakura."

Ichigo was quiet as he went into deep thought. Then he pulled out his phone and started to press some numbers. "I have an idea. But let me call my dad first."

---

A long sigh came from Rukia as she walked down the street. She was out to buy her vitamins and before she knew it, it was dark outside. She wrapped her jacket closer around her, blocking out the spring wind. Her hand lightly went over her stomach and she stopped in her step.

The stomach was warm and Rukia slowly rubbed it up and down as she stared at it.

Pregnant.

She was pregnant with Ichigo's baby.

And he doesn't even know.

When a sharp pain came across her chest, Rukia shook her head and looked up to stop any tears from even forming. There was no way she was going to let her hormones get the best of her. She had already decided to keep Ichigo in the dark about the baby. She was giving up her life so he shouldn't have to too.

_Not to mention that idiot might propose to her, thinking marriage is the only way to get out of this,_ she thought to herself with a smirk. She knew him too well.

Rukia started her walk again and very soon arrived at her front door. She pulled out her keys and unlocked the door. "Tadaima," she called out as she stepped in.

"Okaeri!" Yume's voice came from upstairs. As Rukia shook off her jacket, the old woman came downstairs to meet her. "Did you get all your vitamins?"

"Yup," she answered as she moved to the kitchen to get something to drink. But after three steps, Rukai stopped in her place and only moved her eyes around their house. When her violet eyes landed on her grandmother, she noticed the big smile on her. "What's going on? Why are things missing from their spots?"

Yume kept smiling. "They're all packed up. We're moving tonight."

"What?" Rukia's eyes widened as she took a better look. And indeed most of items that were once in the kitchen, living room and hallway were now inside boxes of many different sizes. "Why are we moving tonight? What happened?"

"Why don't you answer me why you didn't tell me about the baby?"

Rukia's entire body stiffened and her face lost its color. She remained still as she heard an extra pair of footsteps coming down the stairs. Only her wide eyes looked at the direction the voice had came from, and they widened even more when she realized who it wa. "I-Ichigo," she whispered.

The orange head reached the bottom of the stairs with his scowl even deeper than ever before. "Rukia…Why?" he merely asked.

She continued to stare at him before looking down at her feet. "I didn't think you would have wanted to know."

"It's my baby," Ichigo started to glare, and at that point Yume silently turned around and went back upstairs to continue packing. "I think I have the right to know whether a child of mine exists in this world."

Rukia hid her eyes under her bangs. "I didn't want to take advantage of you with the baby. And I didn't want you to blame me for the baby."

"How can you be taking advantage of me?" he asked as he stepped forward to grab her shoulder, "Neither of us is at fault for this. It was the spiked punch's fault. But we're going to do the right thing and raise this baby."

"Ichi—" But before she could finish calling out his name, her eyes widened when Ichigo suddenly—and awkwardly—got down on one knee. "ICHIGO!" she gasped.

Ichigo rubbed the back of his head as he looked somewhere else. "I didn't prepare a ring since this is kind of last minute."

"Ichi—"

"But I'm taking full responsibility for you and the baby," he continued, again cutting her off. He grabbed her hand and held it tightly. "Rukia, marry me—"

"No," she quickly answered.

Ichigo frowned. "I wasn't finished."

"But I already answered," she glared as she squeezed his hand back, "And I don't want to get married."

"Why not?" he asked, "It would be the right thing to do."

Rukia rolled her eyes as she pulled him back on his feet. "It'd the right thing if only we're in love. I don't want the baby to be an excuse for an unhappy marriage."

"I promise I will take care of you—"

"I know you will," she cut him off again, "But that doesn't mean we'll be happy. If there's no love then we'll end up ripping each other throats out within a couple of months," she offered a smile.

Ichigo looked down at her, not liking her smile when she just turned down his marriage proposal. But he knew more than anyone else that there was nothing he could do to change her stubborn mind once she had decided on something. With a sigh, he squeezed her hand again. "If that's what you want then I'll do as you say."

Rukia's smile widened. "Thank you."

He nodded as he dropped her hand and turned around to grab an empty box on the ground. "Let's pack up the rest of the stuff."

Rukia suddenly remembered what was happening before he came down, and grabbed his arm to stop him. "Why are we all packing up anyways?"

"I heard from Yume-san that you guys are moving," he said, "So you two are moving somewhere new."

"Where?"

"To my place," he announced as he walked back upstairs to join Yume in packing.

Rukia remained rooted in her spot as his words sunk in. "WHAT?!" she screamed as she ran up after him. "Are you serious?!"

"Yup," he said as he turned to look at her, "And you shouldn't run. It's not good for you."

"I don't care about that right now." She grabbed his arm and stopped him from moving any further. "Why are you suddenly doing this?"

"What do you mean 'why'?" he frowned at her, "Since we're having a baby, it only makes sense you stay with us. And since I live at a clinic, you'll be watched after every second of the day."

"But—"

"Now Rukia dear," Yume popped out from a room and smiled at her granddaughter, "Ichigo here offered us a comfortable home in exchange of being there for you and the baby. So don't argue with him but thank him for his hospitality."

Rukia just gawked at her. "But how can we just move in like this? I doubt his family even knows about the baby!"

"I'll tell them when we get there," he said as he set down the box to look at her, "But they already know I'm bringing a friend and her grandmother to live with us. They already gave me their consent and are preparing your rooms back at my house."

"But—"

"Rukia," he stopped her this time, "That's enough. You won't marry me, but at least let me do this for you guys. I want to be there for my family." He grabbed her hands and held them in between them. "I can't promise what might happen in the future, but I want to take care of you. And if possible, love you. Please let me be there for you."

Rukia just gapped at him and Yume back and forth. But when Ichigo's eyes looked down at her with complete sincerity she knew there was no way out of this. With a long sigh, she gripped his hands back. "Fine," she grumbled as she looked up at him.

Ichigo smiled back. "Thank you," he said before letting her go and grabbing the box again. "Now help us with packing."

"Go pack up your room," Yume said, "We haven't touched that room yet. Everything else is almost done."

Rukia nodded as she led—still rather reluctantly—Ichigo to her room. When they got there, she reached for her closet and started going through her clothes, sighing at how fast things were suddenly changing compared to only an hour ago. "So how are you going to tell your family about the baby?"

Ichigo walked over and stood behind her to receive whatever she handed to him. "I'll figure something out when we get there."

"Aren't you worried they might not accept it?" she frowned.

But Ichigo quickly shook his head. "Trust me. My old man will worship you."

A thin eyebrow went up as she looked up at him. "What? Why would he do that?"

"Because that bastard actually wants me to have a baby," he growled at the thought.

Rukia continued to frown at him. "But this early? I doubt he would want that."

"Trust me," he immediately responded, "He will _love_ this baby."

Rukia snorted, still not believing him, as she started to pack up some stuff on her desk. "When are they expecting us by? We still need to pack up a lot of things."

"We're taking the essential stuff tonight and I'm going to have my old man pack up the rest tomorrow," he informed her, "And afterschool we can come by and help out."

"That reminds me, I have to go to school to submit the form to pull me out of school. I don't want to be expelled because of my long absence," she said as she grabbed some more boxes that were out in the hall.

Ichigo almost dropped her picture frames when her words hit him. "What?!"

Rukia looked at him and almost laughed at his expression. "You didn't expect me to continue school now that I'm pregnant now did you?"

"Um, no but—" Ichigo's eyebrows furrowed even further when he noticed how calm her expression was. "Do you want to leave school?"

Rukia shrugged her shoulders. "It's sad but I'm willing to give it up for the baby," she smiled, "This is more important than school."

Ichigo silently watched as Rukia returned to packing. He suddenly felt the weights on his shoulders getting heavier. Now that Rukia wasn't going to school, it was up to him to support his new family. "Sorry," he whispered.

Rukia's head snapped up to him. "Huh? Why?"

"Just…just because," he sighed as he turned around to continue packing up her pictures.

It took a bit for Rukia to figure out his sudden change in disposition, but once she did she walked over and wrapped her arms around his abdomen from the back. She felt Ichigo stiffened against her. "Ichigo, you said it yourself: this baby is neither of our faults. So don't apologize and I won't either."

Ichigo sighed as his hand came up to play with her fingers in front of him. "I just don't want you to drop out of school like this. I know how much you've been studying in order to go to a good college but now that this happened, for some reason I feel at fault now."

"But you shouldn't," she told him, "You're doing the valiant thing and taking responsibility of the two of us. That's enough for me. Let's not think too much into this."

After a while Ichigo finally nodded before walking out of her embrace. He turned around and offered her a smile. "Let's hurry things up."

Rukia nodded as she also returned to work. For the next few hours the three of them went from one room to the other, packing up as much as they could in the small amount of time they had. Once everything was done, they all gathered downstairs with several packed boxes.

"Well, looks like we packed up things pretty quickly," Yume giggled behind her hand, "There are only a few things we need to pack up tomorrow."

Ichigo placed down the last box and stretched his back. "I called my house and they're all waiting for us."

"Did you call for a truck, obaachan?" Rukia asked as she followed after him.

"Ara, I thought I forgot something," Yume said as she quickly rushed to the kitchen. "I'll go call them right now!"

As Yume went to call for a pickup truck, Ichigo remained alone with Rukia by the front door. He slowly walked over and stood next to her. "You okay?" he asked.

She looked up at him and shook her head. "I'm worried," she said as she wrapped her arms tightly around herself. Noticing her face contorting into worry, he stepped forward and pulled her into his embrace. Rukia was startled when she felt his warmth from his chest. "I-Ichigo?"

"Rukia," he whispered into her hair, "We're going to be alright. I'll take care of you and our baby, and nothing will break us apart. I promise."

Rukia didn't say anything but only wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly.

* * *

A/N: I really like how I wrote the beginning of this chapter...but the ending isn't to my taste. I'm sure some of you guys noticed that the two are suddenly all touchy-feely too quickly, especially after the fateful night at Matsumoto's party. But I just wanted to push their relationship further and show how close they were even before then. And they are quick to return to their normal selves. Things are going to be crazy for both of them real soon so they're going to need each other a lot.

Anyways, thanks for reading!

And don't forget to REVIEW!

Preview for next chapter:

Rukia moves into Ichigo house.


	6. One Big Happy Family?

**Author's Note: This is the longest chapter as of yet! Almost 16 pages in Word Document!**

**Sorry for not uploading yesterday like I promised. Black Friday shopping got the best of me and I couldn't get to this. But I quickly finished this today and uploading it for all of my readers/reviewers! Thanks for the love and please keep them coming!**

**This is the Isshin-craziness that everyone has been waiting for (and it seems a lot of my frequent readers love it when I write about him--and I do too). It's going to be hectic and long. Please enjoy!  
**

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Bleach

* * *

Chapter 6: One Big Happy Family…?

* * *

Ichigo jumped down from the truck and held out his hand to help Rukia and Yume out of the tall vehicle. "Well, this is it," he said.

Rukia looked up and down her new home. "So this is where you live? I've never been here."

Ichigo nodded as he went to the back to unhook the lock and push up the back door. "It's small but there's enough room for you two. If we need to, we can extend the house and make another room for the baby."

"What a cute place," Yume smiled.

"I'm going to get your father," Rukia called out as she made her way to the front door.

But Ichigo stopped everything he was doing and rushed over to her. "Wait!" he shouted and pulled her aside just in time as the front door burst open.

"ICHIGO!!!" Isshin screamed as he lunged forward to grab his son. "WHERE IS MY NEW-DAUGHTER THAT YOU SAID YOU'D BRING?!"

Before he could make his escape, Ichigo was being crushed into his father's chest. "Let…go…of…ME!" he screamed at the end as he pushed his father away. "Can't you stop doing that?!"

"No!" Isshin pouted, "What's wrong with spreading love—ara!" he smiled brightly when he finally noticed a young woman standing next to his son. "Are you my new daughter?"

"Um," Rukia looked over at Ichigo for some help but he was too busy escaping to help. "I don't know about that…but I am moving in here—"

"MY THIRD-DAUGHTER!" Isshin screamed as he grabbed her in for a tight hug as well, "YOU FINALLY CAME TO DADDY!"

"Ara, looks like we won't have a problem living here," Yume giggled behind her hand as she walked up to them.

Isshin immediately released Rukia and bowed at the older woman. "You must be her grandmother. It is an honor to meet you," he said gently.

Yume bowed back. "I'm grateful for your hospitality. Thank you for letting us into your home at such a short notice."

"No problem at all," Isshin grinned like a child meeting his best friend, "We're more than happy to help out those in need." He looked over to see his son and newly adopted daughter getting some boxes from behind the truck.

"Your son is so sweet," Yume smiled as she watched them too.

Isshin nodded before looking at her with a sincere smile. "Is there something going on between them that I should know about?"

Yume laughed behind her hand again. "You'll find out soon."

"I see," Isshin nodded before hopping over to them. "Ichigo! Let daddy help you!"

"No!" Ichigo shouted.

"But daddy wants to help!" he pouted.

"Well I don't need it—"

"Just let your old man help before he starts a tantrum!"

Ichigo flinched at the new voice before looking up to see the purple-haired woman standing by the front door. "Yoruichi-san," he groaned.

"In the flesh," she grinned as she approached Yume and Rukia. "Konbanwa. I'm Urahara Yoruichi, a friend of Isshin." The other two women greeted back before she continued. "If this house gets too crazy for you, feel free to come to my place. My husband and I own a small store only a few blocks from here. It a place of sanctuary, especially for the twins when those two Kurosaki-idiots starts one of their stupid fights."

"We'll keep that in mind," Yume smiled.

"Ara, they're really here!" Everyone looked up to see a man approaching them, wearing a green jacket and a stripped hat while fanning himself with a plain looking fan. "The name's Urahara Kisuke" he bowed deeply, "I see you've already met my lovely wife."

"Doozo yoroshiku."

Once the formalities were all done, Urahara looked up to see Ichigo struggling to hold onto a box while trying to maintain his father at a safe distance. "Need help there, Kurosaki-kun?"

"Yeah! Kill this bastard for me, will ya?!" he shouted.

"Ara, no can do," he chuckled, "I've been friends with your father a lot longer so I'm afraid I can't do that!"

"Not to mention he still owes us some money," Yoruichi grinned.

Ichigo groaned. "What did you guys bet on this time?"

"Does it matter? We already won," she laughed.

Another two hours later, Rukia and Yume were sitting in the living room with all their boxes up in the spare bedroom that they were going to share. Rukia was sitting on the couch, in between her grandmother and Ichigo, while Isshin and the twins were sitting on the ground across from them, along with the Urahara couple.

"So, um, this is Rukia," Ichigo pointed at the woman next to him before indicating to the older woman, "And she's Rukia's grandmother, Yume-san."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Yuzu smiled sweetly.

"Same here," Yume smiled back. "Your family is too kind for letting us in on such short notice."

Yoruichi tried to keep her laughter at bay. "Nice they may be, but sane they most certainly are not."

"Which you will find out very soon," Yuzu nodded. Rukia just awkwardly smiled at them while Yume just carelessly laughed.

"So," Karin looked between her new housemates, "What happened that you guys suddenly had to move in here?"

"We couldn't pay off the rent to our house," Rukia answered.

But Karin was still staring at her skeptically. "Is that all?"

Ichigo, who was drinking some tea, started to cough.

"Aha! So there is more to this!" Isshin jumped up with a wide smile. "What's going on here?"

"Looks like something happened!" Urahara said in a singing tone.

Ichigo coughed into his hand as he slumped forward. "Well, we're good friends so when I heard they were in trouble, I quickly stepped in and offered help," he said, then "And…"

"'And'?"

"Um…"

"Hmmmmmmmm?????" Isshin was literally staring at him with his freaky wide eyes, trying to intimidate his son to speak.

"That is…"

"Out with it already!" Yoruichi spat.

But that triggered it.

"We're pregnant!" he finally shouted.

Rukia squeezed her eyes shut, knowing full well that any parent would start screaming and telling her to get out of their sight for ruining their son's bright future. Her fists clenched tight until it turned white as she waited for the bomb, no, the nuclear bomb to explode—

"KYAAA! MY SON IS A MAN!"

Okay, that was not the kind of bomb she was expecting.

Rukia looked up to see Isshin squealing and grinning like a child who just got what he wanted for Christmas. HE started jumping around the living room, doing a horrible-looking victory dance.

"I told you he would be happy," Ichigo whispered to her as he tried to ignore his father.

"Ara, this was unexpected," Yume laughed.

Rukia just moved her jaw up and down, unable to create any sound as she looked between her laughing grandmother and a hysteric soon-to-be-grandfather.

Karin looked at her and smirked. "What? Did you expect the old goat chin to get mad?"

Rukia looked at the dark-haired twin and stuttered, "Y-yy-yes!"

Yuzu giggled. "Hasn't oniichan ever told you we're not your typical family? This is actual good news for otousan!"

"HAHAHAHA!" Yoruichi laughed out loud as she came forward to slap Ichigo on the back. "Didn't know you had it in you, kid! We should celebrate your newfound manhood!"

"Shut up," he groaned, "I don't want to hear anymore from you guys."

"Well, you are! After all, your father just won a bet for the first time in years!" Urahara chuckled.

Ichigo felt like fainting. "On what this time?"

"Whether or not you'll be able to get laid before graduating from high school," Yoruichi grinned. "We never thought it would happen seeing how much of a crude you are—" she wasn't at all fazed when he glared at her "—but seems you've proven yourself as a man!"

"I don't want to hear this," Karin groaned.

"B-b-b-but how? Why?" Rukia continued stuttering, still extremely confused with what was happening.

"Because the old man was worried Ichi-nii was gay for a long time," Karin rolled her eyes, ignoring her brother's glare, "But then you suddenly appear, not only proving he's not gay but also carrying his child. Seriously, this is like a 'dream come true' for _him_," she pointed at her father with her thumb.

"Not to mention your beauty. Now he's not worried about his son repelling woman with that scowl of his," Urahara added. "Ahhh, typical Isshin."

Rukia looked back at Isshin who was now dancing in front of a huge poster.

"Masaki! Did you hear? Not only did I get us a third daughter, but she's pregnant with our not-gay son's child! Our dream has finally come true! A beautiful girl has actually decided to put up with his ugly face and his outrageous hair, and slept with him!"

"Scream louder, why don't 'ya! I don't think the whole world heard you yet!" Ichigo yelled but he didn't expect his sarcastic comment to be taken seriously.

"MASAKIIII!!!! DID YOU HEAR?! NOT ONLY DID I GET US A THIRD DAUGHTER, BUT SHE'S PREGNANT WITH OUR NOT-GAY SON'S CHILD—OW!"

"I DIDN'T MEAN LITERALLY!" Ichigo screamed.

---

Rukia sighed as she finally got her clothes hanging in the closet along with her grandmother's. It's been long, excruciating hours setting up _their _room in the Kurosaki residence. She was still finding it hard to believe she was pregnant and now living with the father.

"This is some messed up drama," she grunted to herself.

"Talking to yourself again, dear?"

Rukia turned around to see Yume entering the room after taking a shower. She smiled at the older woman. "No, I was talking to my imaginary friend, _Shiruyuki_. You remember her, don't you?"

Yume giggled at her granddaughter's sarcasm. "How could I forget? You've been talking to her all those years I've raised you. I never realized she came with you when you moved here?"

Rukia rolled her eyes as she tossed the now-empty box to the side. "Well, I'm going to go brush my teeth. We can go to sleep then."

"I'm turning in first," Yume announced as she snuggled into the big queen-sized bed, "I'm so exhausted. Don't wake me when you come back in."

"'kay," Rukia nodded as she left the room, turning off the lights and closing the door behind her. The twins were already asleep in their rooms while Isshin had gone out for an extra celebration with his two friends. The entire house was dark and quiet as she quickly entered the bathroom and turned on the faucet. Taking the toothbrush, she stuck it into her mouth and started to brush. She looked up, only to be greeted by a mirror that was reflecting her image back to her. Slowly, her arm stopped moving and she only continued to stare at the person in front of her, the water still running from the faucet.

Nothing seemed different about her. She looked exactly the same as when she first moved here after running away from her brother. But her motionless hand slowly came up and landed on her stomach.

There was a living being inside of her, depending on her in order to safely enter this world of hers.

"Can I really do this?" she mumbled to herself with her toothbrush still in her mouth.

With a deep sigh, Rukia yanked the brush out and rinsed her mouth with the water. After turning off the faucet, she quickly left the bathroom, not willing herself to look in the mirror again. Once she was out, she quickly shut the door behind her and leaned against it.

"I can't have second thoughts now," she grunted to herself.

"What are you doing talking to yourself out here?"

Rukia looked up to see Ichigo standing before her in front of his room. She quickly shook her head. "N-nothing!"

But Ichigo stared at her skeptically. "Whatever. Anyways, come with me," he said as he turned around to enter his room again.

"Why?" Rukia called out.

Ichigo stopped to look back at her. "I just want a second to talk to you privately without my crazy dad attacking us every second."

Rukia just stared at him. "Fine," she finally answered and followed him to his room, closing the door after she entered.

Ichigo immediately went to his desk and sat down while Rukia walked over to the closet and leaned against the sliding door. The two remained silent, not even looking at each other as the seconds continued passing.

"So," Ichigo finally started, "How's the room for you and Yume-san?"

Rukia nodded. "It's good, considering how last minute this all is."

"At least now you don't have to worry about taking care of your grandmother and the baby alone," Ichigo commented, "My family is going to help us out so you don't have to worry."

"I still can't believe how happy your father is about all this," Rukia frowned at him, "I suspected your family to hate me for being pregnant."

Ichigo scoffed. "Please, you'll find out that this isn't your normal family. Even our neighbors know how much my old man want grandchildren."

Rukia sighed as she crossed her arms under her chest. "Ichigo, you still have time to back down. Most of our stuff are still packed and at the old house. We can leave immediately—"

"Can't you drop that act now," Ichigo interrupted, "I'm not a bastard who's going to leave you to deal with this alone. I'm sorry but you're stuck with me."

Rukia stared at him in disbelief before rolling her eyes. "You Kurosaki's are unbelievable."

"Thanks," Ichigo smirked.

Rukia sighed again as she stood up straight, pushing herself off the door of the closet. "If there's nothing to talk about then I'll leave now."

"Wait a second," Ichigo quickly called out to stop her before she moved. "Actually, I need to give you this." He stood up and walked over to the closet, sliding the door open.

Rukia, who was standing less than a foot from him, lifted a thin eyebrow as she leaned forward to see what he was searching for. "What is it?" she asked.

"That stupid rabbit umbrella of yours. I forgot to return it to you last time." Ichigo grunted. "I kept it in here so no one would find it."

"I can't believe you still have that," Rukia grinned at him, "I was sure you would have thrown it away the moment you opened it."

"I was about to kill myself when I saw those disgusting things on it. I can't believe I successful got home with this," he groaned as he continued his search. "Just a second," he said as he reached behind her.

Rukia felt her breath being sucked away when Ichigo leaned down to rummage through more stuff in his closet, but this time he was literally up in her face. His natural scent of something spicy like cinnamon filled her nostrils and making her heart beat ten times faster.

"Well I think—"

When Ichigo leaned down to grab something from the lower shelf of his closet, he was abruptly stopped Rukia pressed her lips against his. His amber eyes widened into plates as he stared into her violet eyes that were slowly opening.

Rukia didn't know why she did it. If anything she was going to blame the baby and the hormones that came with it. Without realizing what she was doing, when Ichigo's face neared her, her body just moved on its own and leaned forward. And when their warm lips met, she felt her entire body tingling. Apparently she had her eyes lightly closed but after having kissing him for several seconds, her conscience came back.

Slowly, very slowly, her eyes opened to see a pair of startled amber eyes staring back at her. Realizing her mistake, Rukia's entire body stiffened as she slowly detached herself. Her lower lip started to shake as their eyes continued to stare at each other. "I-Ichigo," she gasped, "I-I'm so-sorry. I didn't mean to—"

But this time Rukia got cut off when Ichigo grabbed the back of her head and brought her forward for another kiss, but this time with both of their eyes closed. A startled gasp came from her, allowing Ichigo the chance to shove his tongue down her throat and to start a tug-a-war with her. His grip on her hair tightened as he tilted to the side to try and deepen the kiss even more.

The two weren't sure what they were doing. Ichigo's mind just snapped when she tried to apologize for something that was great. So to stop her he just kissed her. And it was the best thing he did. Somehow the two ended up on his bed as their kiss intensified and their hands roamed all over each other's body. To make things more heated, their kiss seemed to have triggered something in their memory as more flashbacks from that faithful night crashed into their minds.

The moaning.

The sweating.

The panting.

The kissing.

The screaming.

The thrusting.

And the release.

Rukia moaned out loud when Ichigo nipped his way down to her neck and her head leaned to the side by itself to allow him more access. Her hands were fisting his orange hair and his shirt as he continued to attack her with fervor, and it wasn't getting any better with all those flashbacks.

"I-Ichigo," she huffed out.

The said man immediately stopped when her strained voice entered his ears. It was just then that he noticed what he was doing and where he was doing it on. Ichigo pulled away, his chest heaving up and down in a crazy pace, and looked down to see Rukia's swollen lips. His eyes slowly made its way up her blushing face until he landed on her eyes. "S-sorry," he huffed.

Rukia took in a deep breath and slowly shook her head. "N-no, it's okay."

Ichigo gulped as he strained his body to the side, getting off of Rukia who remained on the bed to catch her breathing. He kept his eyes away until she finally sat up. "Um, that was…unexpected."

Rukia nodded. "I…I'm not sure why I did that."

"I'm not sure why _I _did that," he said as well, "But I guess it's your hormones acting up. You are near the end of your first term."

Again Rukia nodded as she got up from the bed. "I think I should leave now before…"

Even though she didn't finish her sentence, Ichigo knew what she was saying. "Yeah, I agree. I think it'd be best to try and avoid being…well, _alone_ together like this. We might—_I_ might…not be able to stop next time," he blushed.

And a blush came on Rukia's cheeks as well. "R-right." The two remained silent as they both stared off to different sides of the room. It lasted awhile before she finally continued. "Well, goodnight."

"Ah," he nodded and only listened as her light footsteps left his room. Once he heard the door being closed after her, he finally slumped back down on the bed and buried his head into his pillow. "Dammit. I wasn't planning on this," he groaned.

But suddenly a sweet smell entered him when he inhaled deeply. Looking down he realized Rukia was on _this_ exact pillow just a few minutes ago. Another groan came from him as he glared down at the pillow. But when he got nothing in return, he gave up and allowed his nose to bury into his pillow again.

Maybe he was already falling for her.

---

With the buzzing of his alarm clock, Ichigo groaned as he peeked open his eyes. He blinked his heavy eyelids several times, trying to get rid of the sleep that was trying to take over him again. The alarm kept buzzing until he strained his arm to the side to slam down on the snooze button.

The red numbers glared at him and it was already making his day bad. "Fucking school," he cursed as he sat up. He started rubbing his face as he tried to get rid of all the drowsiness. When a yawn came on, he stretched his arm and looked out the window.

It was slightly cloudy, but it looked safe from the rain. "But why didn't the old man come barging in here yet?" he asked himself as he checked the time again. He tried to think of an excuse but nothing came to mind as he got out of bed to prepare for school. He was about to head to the bathroom when he stopped abruptly. The noise from beyond his door was different from any other day.

He heard Yuzu's voice first. _"Ara, did you sleep well last night, Rukia-neesan?"_

A new, but familiar voice suddenly answered back. _"Hai, thank you so much for your concern."_

"_I hope the old man's snoring didn't keep you two awake." _It seemed like Karin was talking now.

"_No, everything was fine and dandy. Your family is so sweet for taking care of us," _replied an elderly voice.

"_Ne, do you want to help me with making breakfast?" _Yuzu asked.

"_I would like to!" _she answered.

It was then he suddenly remembered what happened the day before.

Rukia was living in his house with her grandmother.

And she was pregnant.

…With his child.

Ichigo's steps fell backward, slowly distancing himself from the door where he could hear the four ladies talking to each other as their footsteps were heard heading downstairs. His heart beat was quickening along with his breathing as he fell back on his bed. Beads of sweat were dripping down his head as he tried to calm himself down.

_Pregnant. Pregnant. Pregnant._

That word kept replaying in his mind as he remembered how his entire life had changed in less than 24 hours.

It was weird. He was totally fine yesterday but for some reason he was starting to freak out now. Because he just realized it wasn't a dream.

"ICHIGO!"

The orange head was pulled out of his thoughts when his father suddenly lunged at him. "AH!" he screamed when he fell back on his bed after getting kicked in the face. "What the fuck was that for?!"

"For taking too long to wake up! And don't use such bad words now. I don't want my first grandchild to say 'fuck' for its first word!" Isshin smacked his head.

Ichigo groaned from the pain as his father jumped off of him. "Where's Rukia?" he asked.

"Downstairs helping your sister," Isshin grinned, "She's naturally a member of this family. When are you two getting married?"

Her refusal from last night came to mind. "We're not getting married. She doesn't want the baby to be an excuse for our unhappy marriage."

Isshin's face suddenly fell for a second before grinning again. "Oh, well. She's just a smarter girl than the others these days."

"What are you talking about?" Ichigo raised a brow.

"Nothing," Isshin shook his head, "I'm sure things will change once you two have another baby."

"Right—wait, what?!" But Ichigo only watched as his father skipped out of his room. He stared at the empty spot that was occupied only a few seconds ago. Once he finally registered what he might have been insinuating, he glared. "Fucking bastard."

"Excuse me?"

Ichigo looked up and was shocked to see a fuming Rukia standing in his doorway. "No no no no no! I wasn't talking about you!"

But Rukia didn't lose her glare as she turned around. "Hurry up and come down. Breakfast is ready."

Ichigo could only nod back as she quickly left his room. He continued staring where she left a little longer before getting out of bed again. "It's all really happening," he sighed as he got to get ready.

After taking a quick shower, Ichigo came downstairs to be greeted by his old and new family.

"Ohayo, oniichan!" Yuzu greeted.

"Ohayo," he greeted back.

Karin, who was hanging off the back of her seat, smirked at him. "So how's the new father doing?"

Ichigo glared at her. "Shut up, Karin." He sat down next to her and quickly started eating his breakfast. "Why aren't you getting ready for school?" he asked.

Karin shrugged her shoulders as she sat down straight to eat her meal too. "I really don't have anything to else to do. Elementary school isn't a big deal as high school."

"It is when you can't even get into junior high school," he told her, "Your studies are very important."

"Stop trying to act like the parent we don't have," she scoffed at him, "And seeing how you ended up, I doubt school is a good thing."

"Bitch," he cursed at her.

"Stop cursing and start eating." Rukia suddenly came up to him and smacked his head. "We need to go to school soon."

"I'm surrounded by bitches," he mumbled under his breath as he shoved his breakfast down his throat. In record time he was standing by the front door with Rukia, who was also wearing her school uniform, just for old time sakes. "We're leaving!" he called out.

"Itterashai!" Yuzu waved at them.

Ichigo closed the door behind him as they made their way to school. "Do you know what you're going to do?" he asked, referring to her resignation.

Rukia shrugged her shoulders. "I'm just going to the main office and ask them for help. Obaachan wrote a note that she has knowledge of my predicament and allowing me to drop out of school."

Ichigo nodded as they neared the school. "I wonder how long it's going to take before everyone else finds out."

Apparently it didn't take that long. By the time Ichigo was in his class, trying to mind his own business, the three upperclassmen entered his class while wearing mischievous grins.

"Kurosaki Ichigooo," they called out together as they crawled their way towards him.

Ichigo groaned when Matsumoto, Ikkaku and Yumichika appeared in front of him. "What do you three stooges want from me now?"

"Just information," Ikkaku smirked, "So how are things for you these days?"

Ichigo's orange brow went up as he stared suspiciously at the three. "What are you three getting at?" By that point everyone else in class were silently making their way towards the four, interested in what they were talking about.

"We just heard something very interesting while we were at the office," Yumichika tossed his hair back. "It was something very beautiful. But when we figured out who was the cause of it, it suddenly became quite ugly," he blanched.

Ichigo's eyes widened when he slowly realized what the three were trying to hint at. "No fucking way," he muttered.

"Oh, yes," Matsumoto grinned, "We heard Rukia's pregnant!"

"WHAT?!" Everyone else in class screamed together, "PREGNANT?!"

"Yup," Ikkaku snickered, "And guess who the father is?" he asked while pointing at the orange head who was slamming his head against his desk.

"WHAT?!" they screeched again, as they stared down at Ichigo.

"IS THIS TRUE?!" Tatsuki screamed at him as she grabbed his collar, shaking him back and forth. "YOU KNOCKED UP THE NEW GIRL?!"

Everyone stood quiet, waiting for an answer. Ichigo just allowed his head to shake several more times before answering, very quietly, "Yeah…"

"NO!" guys and girls alike all screamed at the news.

"WHY NOT US?!" some girls—when did students from other classes appear?—screamed in unison.

"NOT OUR TINY ANGEL!" the guys cried in despair.

When Tatsuki released her hold on him from shock, Keigo jumped onto Ichigo's back and cried into his shirt. "Why Ichigo?! Why did you have to do it with my girlfriend?!"

"She's not your girlfriend," Ichigo pushed Keigo off him.

"I never knew you had it in you," Rangiku snickered, "Who would have thought you could knock up Kuchiki-san in one shot?"

Ichigo groaned as everyone else around him started to snicker along with the strawberry-blonde. "Shut the hell up, Matsumoto…And why are you always in here?!"

"Because my class is boring," she answered, "And there's no way I'll pass by this juicy news. So, can you give me some insight on to how you did it?"

Ichigo glared at her. "It was your stupid party that got us into this mess. Why the hell did you allow someone to spike the punch at the party?"

"'Cuz it made the party more fun," she said, "Besides, you should have controlled your hormones instead of jumping on her."

"So does that mean she's leaving school?" Orihime asked with her teary eyes. Everyone lost their perverted smile and went into deep thought.

Ichigo groaned as he leaned back in his chair. "Yeah, she's at the office right now to pull out from the school. She'll come by here once she's done," he announced and at that moment the door to the classroom burst opened.

Everyone looked up to see the main topic of their discussion suddenly standing at their door.

Rukia was standing in the doorway with a confused look on her face. "What's going on?" she asked, her head tilting to the side.

"KUCHIKI-SAAAAN!" Keigo jumped up to run towards his 'sweet angel,' but Ichigo quickly stood up and grabbed the back of his collar.

"Stay away from her, Keigo!" he shouted as he pulled his 'friend' back.

Keigo immediately looked up at Ichigo with pouting lips and watering eyes. "Ichigo, how could you do this to my sweet Kuchiki-san?! Such a pure angel has been tainted by your demonic hands and now I can never get her!" he started crying.

Ichigo slapped him upside the head. "You wouldn't have gotten her even if she wasn't pregnant!"

Rukia frowned as she walked through the small crowd to where his bright hair was standing out. "You already told them I'm pregnant?"

Ichigo scratched the back of his head as he nodded. "The three stooges announced it," he pointed back at the three who were waving at her, "And they forced the confession out of me. I couldn't fight against so many of them," he then nodded to the huge group of people that were staring at them.

Rukia took in a deep breath as she mustered up her normal smile. "Hey guys. I haven't seen you guys in days. How have you been?" But nobody moved nor said anything. Instead, they slowly looked down to stare at her stomach, causing her to feel uncomfortable.

Silently, Orihime walked over and wrapped her arms around her petite friend. "How are you feeling, Kuchiki-san?" she asked.

Rukia was at first surprised by her actions but immediately hugged her friend back. "I'm fine, thanks for asking."

Orihime pulled away with a smile. "Can I touch your stomach?"

A small chuckle came from Rukia. "You won't feel anything yet but you can if you want."

With a squeal, Orihime gently placed a hand against her stomach, trying hard to feel for any movement but there was none. "How long until the stomach bump comes out?"

Rukia shrugged her shoulders and merely looked at Ichigo. He sighed as he answered, "Towards the end of her third month. So just before the second trimester."

"You sure do know your stuff," Tatsuki smirked. She walked over and placed a hand on Rukia's shoulder. "We're here for you so call us if anything happens."

Rukia smiled and nodded at her dear friend. Soon all the girls surrounded her and offered her similar words of encouragement and help. Ichigo smiled when he noticed the bright smile appearing on her face.

"So how far along are you?" Rangiku asked but everyone threw her a look. She frowned at their stare and asked, "What?"

"You should know how far along she is, dumbass," Tatsuki slapped her back, "They got pregnant during your party."

"Oh yeah," she chuckled, "I just thought the two of them might have gotten together afterwards and got knocked up then." Rangiku ignored Tatsuki who rolled her eyes, and kept her eyes on Rukia's stomach. "So how big is the baby then?"

"About this big," Rukia lifted up her hand and spread her forefinger and thumb apart an appropriate length to show her friends the size of the fetus. "And it's going to get bigger later."

"That's so small," Hinamori gasped.

"I have a picture, do you want to see?" Rukia asked and was immediately greeted by several heads nodding at her. She reached into her bag and fished around until she got what she was searching for. "Here it is," she pulled out the sonogram and laid it on top of Ichigo's desk.

Everyone crowded around the desk and frowned. "I don't get it," Mizuiro said.

"This peanut-shaped thing here is the baby," Ichigo pointed at a certain spot.

Everyone turned their heads from one side to the other, but none of them were getting it.

"It doesn't look like a baby," Keigo said.

"Because it's still the first trimester, dumbass," Ichigo wacked him over the head again, "It will take form in a couple of months." When he looked back down at the picture, he frowned then looked at Rukia. "Why didn't you show me this picture yesterday? I didn't know you had one."

Rukia looked up at him. "But I gave a copy to your father. Didn't he show it to you?"

Ichigo shook his head as he picked up the picture to get a better look. "I'm sure he already has it framed on our wall or something."

"He did take it really quickly last night."

"Wait a sec," Tatsuki jumped in, "Kurosaki-san already knows about the pregnancy?"

The two nodded at her. "And he was squealing with joy about the baby last night and early this morning," Rukia added, "I never thought he would be so happy about the pregnancy."

"I told you he's not normal," Ichigo grunted.

"Ano," Orihime frowned in thought, "How do you know how Kurosaki-san reacted yesterday and today? Did you stay over at Kurosaki-kun's house last night?"

"Kinda. I actually moved into his house with my grandmother last night," Rukia announced.

"EH?!" they all shouted in shock at her sudden news.

"Are you really living with Kurosaki-kun?" Hinamori asked to clarify, "But why? Are you two getting married?"

"No, we're not getting married—it's a long story," Rukia said but before she could say anything more the bell suddenly rung, signaling that class was going to start in a few minutes. Rukia looked up and frowned at the clock. "Looks like I have to get going now. I don't want to disturb you guys during class."

"You're not going to stay one more day?" Hinamori pouted.

Rukia shook her head. "I am now officially dropped out of school. I don't know about you but I'm going to go celebrate my newfound freedom!" she grinned.

The front door slide open and the teacher walked inside. "Okay guys go back to your seats! Class is—oh, Kuchiki," Ochi-sensei was startled when she saw Rukia standing in the middle of the crowd. "I didn't know you were still here." Then she looked over to frown at the other students who were not from her class along with Matsumoto, Ikkaku and Yumichika. "And why are you three here again? Class already started." Before she could say anything else her non-students disappeared out the door.

Once the door closed shut, Rukia smiled sweetly at her teacher and replied, "I was about to get going."

The older woman walked over and patted her on the shoulder. "Sorry to hear what happened to you. Can't believe it had to be Kurosaki of all people."

"Oi!" Ichigo glared at her.

Rukia laughed along with the others. "I'm fine. Thank you for having taken care of me until now," she bowed.

Ochi-sensei nodded. "No problem. If you need any _woman _advice then don't hesitate to contact me."

"Thank you."

"Sensei," Ichigo sighed as he stood next to Rukia, "I'm going to walk her home so can you excuse me?"

Shocked by his sudden request, Rukia stared at him. "I don't need you to walk me back. I'm fine on my own."

"Whatever midget," Ichigo ignored her as he awaited his teacher's answer.

She merely shrugged her shoulders as she walked to the front of the classroom. "I don't mind. Just get back before the next class starts."

"Got it," he said as he grabbed Rukia's arm. "Com'on, let's go."

Rukia followed him as he dragged her out the room. But before passing the door, she waved at everyone. "I'll see you guys later!"

"Bye!" Everyone replied, while Keigo was the only one crying.

Once they reached the front of the main doors, Ichigo released his hold on Rukia in order to change their shoes. "So how did it go in the office?" he asked as he pulled out his shoes from his locker.

"Not bad. But everyone was pretty shocked," she said as she slipped out of her clean, in-door shoes and slipped on her flats. But instead of putting her other pair in the locker, she shoved it into her bag, along with anything else in the locker. "I still can't believe I'm really leaving school."

Ichigo walked over and grabbed her bag to hold it for her. "What are you going to do now?" he asked.

Rukia shrugged her shoulders. "I guess I'll help around the house. And with the baby coming we're going to have to get ready for it."

As the two left the school ground, Rukia stopped before getting too far away. She turned around and took one last look at the school building. Ichigo stopped with her and waited as she absorbed everything. After a few minutes, he finally spoke up. "You ready to go?"

Rukia looked up at him and nodded with a smile. "Let's go."

Ichigo allowed her to walk past him first before following after her. The two silently walked the same way for several minutes. For Ichigo, his feet were walking on their own, while Rukia was trying to remember where to turn and where to cross.

"Ichigo, you can go now," Rukia finally broke the silence, "I know my way from here."

But Ichigo shook his head when she started to turn the corner. "That's not the right way."

Rukia stopped midstep and looked back at him. "It isn't? I thought we turned around here."

Again Ichigo shook his head as he walked up to grab her hand. "Com'on," he smiled as he led her back down the street. "You should know your way around here by now. Hasn't it been several months since you moved here?"

"Yeah, but I've been busy with so much stuff that I never really went anywhere else but home and school," she informed him as she held his hand and walked next to him, "I guess I should ask obaachan to walk around with me now."

"That would be good for the baby," Ichigo nodded, "But be careful."

Rukia smiled at him. "Stop worrying so much. You're starting to sound like an old woman."

He rolled his eyes at her. "I'm just worried about the baby, not you."

Rukia laughed as they finally turned a corner to come up to a familiar street. "Okay, I really know where to go from here."

"No you don't," he quickly interjected. But Rukia released his hand and kicked him on the shin. "Bitch!" he hissed because of the pain. "Is this how you thank me for walking you home?!"

Rukia placed her hands on her hips and glared at him. "Well you don't have to walk with me anymore because we're only a block away!" she pointed afar where the top of the Kurosaki clinic was noticeable from where they were.

Ichigo looked at where she was pointing, though his scowl never lightened. "I'm still walking you the rest of the way," he said as he stood back straight.

"You don't have to," she tried to reason with him.

But it wasn't working. "I _am_ going to. I just want to make sure you get home safe."

"What could possibly happen to me within one block in broad daylight?!" she screeched before calming down. "You just want to skip school, huh?"

Ichigo snorted as he grabbed her hand to walk with her again. "Don't be stupid. With the baby on the way and you out of school, I need to keep up my grades so I can take care of you guys in a few years."

Rukia suddenly tensed but Ichigo continued before she could say anything.

"I'm thinking about going to medical school and following after my old man. That way we can just stay at that clinic and not worry about money. Until then my family can help us out. Once my old man retires, we can kick him out of the house."

"Ichi—"

"There are other things you can do," Ichigo kept going, ignoring her, "You can start working once the baby is old enough to go to school, but until then I won't let you lift even a finger—what?!" he yelled at her when she tugged his arm back really hard for the nth time.

Rukia glared at him as they stopped. "Although I appreciate you wanting to treat me like a queen while I'm pregnant, I would like it better if you let me in on planning our future together!"

Ichigo's eyebrow went up as he stared at her. "What are you talking about?"

"I mean, you're blabbing on about how we're going to continue living together and you taking care of us with a career in medicine. It sounds nice and all but you're talking like it's all really going to happen!"

Ichigo continued staring at her before stepping in front of her. "I don't know why this is bothering you so much. Are you planning on moving out as soon as you get a job or something?"

Rukia quickly shook her head to stop him from misunderstanding. "I'm just saying we don't know what's going to happen in the future."

"…" Ichigo kept silent, not wanting to say what he really wanted to say. _Are you saying you might fall in love with someone else and leave me?_

"Ichigo," she sighed, "I just don't want to plan so far into the future because it feels like something bad might happen." She stepped closer to him to rest her forehead against his chest. "What do I do if something happens and we get separated?" She couldn't ask the other question in her head. _What if niisama finds out and comes after you?_

Ichigo didn't say anything but wrapped his free arm around her shoulders. "Rukia, I'm not really sure why you're saying all of this to me. BUT—" he raised his voice to continue when Rukia tried to interfere, "—I can promise one thing." He pulled away from her to lift up her head by her chin. He looked deeply into her eyes before leaning down to firmly press his lips against hers.

Rukia felt her breath being taken away when she felt his warm lips against her for the second time after moving in with him. But instead of pushing away, she closed her eyes and leaned up to him.

After awhile, Ichigo finally pulled away to smile down at her, still in his embrace. "I promise I'm going to take care of you and the baby. And _nothing_ is going to keep me from you two. I'll always be there even if you don't want me to."

Rukia smiled as she hugged him back. "If you insist."

Ichigo chuckled as he held her tighter. He buried his nose into her hair and inhaled deeply. She was already becoming a necessity in his life.

But the moment was broken too soon.

"MASAKI! OUR SON IS MAN ENOUGH TO MAKE LOVE TO OUR THIRD-DAUGHTER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREETS!"

The two quickly pulled away when they heard Isshin loud voice. Ichigo looked up to see his father's head sticking out from the top window of their house, only several yards away from where they were.

"SHUT UP!" he shouted up at him but Isshin was gone in a flash. Before he knew what was coming, Ichigo was suddenly tackled down by his father.

"ICHIGO!" Isshin cried with tears falling down like waterfalls, "I'm so proud of you!"

"GET OFF ME!" Ichigo screamed as he tried to punch his father away from him, but Isshin only held on tighter as his cries got louder too.

"MASAKI! WE'RE GOING TO BE GRANDPARENTS!"

"EUGH!" Ichigo grunted in annoyance as he continued to wrestle with Isshin. He looked over to check up on the said baby and its carrier, only to notice Rukia was no longer standing where she was. He looked passed his father's shoulder to see her already standing by the front door to the clinic and waving at him.

"Have fun!" she shouted back to them before closing the door behind her.

"RUKIA!" Ichigo shouted before being crushed into his father's chest.

* * *

A/N: So, that was pretty long. But I hope you guys like it because I had fun writing it.

Someone reviewed that he/she like how I added some sweet moments in the previous chapter with them shyly but sweetly hugging each other. And I decided that it DID show how they're progressing. Here, i decided to make them progress a lot so we can see sweeter moments faster.

Thanks for reading and don't forget to review! They make me really happy!

(Don't have preview this week because I'm still working on it. Sorry).


	7. Realizing

**Author's Notes: HELLO AND THANK YOU to all the reviewers! I'm so happy to know my story is entertaining and getting so much love. Seriously, there is a reason I can't stop writing.**

**Anyways, I didn't have a preview last time because I wasn't sure which way to go. But finally I found a good plotline that I think you guys will like. It's just Ichigo and Rukia getting closer and some obstacle that makes Ichigo realize something great. It's not as long as the previous chapter (thank goodness because my hands seriously cramped after that) but it's still pretty long. Have fun reading and don't forget to review!  
**

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Bleach

* * *

Chapter 7: Realizing

* * *

Ichgio sighed as he slumped against his desk. The teacher in front of him was blabbering on and on about math problems that were already perfectly lodged in his brain. It felt like school was just teaching him stuff he learned the previous year. He'd rather stay at home and study by himself.

_Ding ding ding!_

The second the bell rang, everyone started to get up for their lunch, the teacher also packing up and leaving for his much-needed break.

"That was boring," Keigo groaned as he dropped his body on the unsuspecting orange head.

"Get the hell off," Ichigo shoved him away. "But you're right about one thing: that _was _boring."

"Does Ichigo finally agree with me on the non-importance of school? That what we're learning is too hard and won't ever be used in the future as all the teachers says?" his eyes were literally sparkling with hope, which was making Ichigo cringe.

"No, I was just saying that I already knew everything so I was bored," he replied.

Keigo's eyes immediately watered as he wailed, "YOU'RE SUCH A NERD!"

Before Ichigo could smack him, Renji came over and did it for him. "You're too loud, dumbass."

"Renji! You're still part of my army, aren't you?" Keigo asked.

The red head groaned as the brunette continued crying on his shoulder. "Yeah…unfortunately I still am."

"Sucks to be you," Ichigo smirked as he stood up.

Renji replied with a glare. "Fuck off," he growled as he pushed Keigo off of him.

"Come on you guys!" Orihime called from the doorway of the classroom. "Let's go up to the roof and have some lunch!"

Ichigo and Renji slowly followed her while Keigo was literally skipping his way towards her. "It's such a lovely day, isn't it my beautiful goddess?" he swooned.

Orihime giggled at his antics but didn't reply as she continued walking. But Uryuu suddenly came forward and pulled Keigo away from her. "Stop that," he said to him.

"Uryuu!" Orihime excitingly exclaimed.

Keigo suddenly froze at the familiar way she called out his name. "Wait…what?"

"Wow, slow aren't you?" Renji snickered as he pushed past brunette who was frozen in his spot. He looked over at him and sighed. "They're going out," he finally said, making the connection for him.

Keigo immediately fell on his knees as he cried, "NOOOOO! First Kuchiki-san and now my beautiful Inoue?!"

Ichigo groaned at his screams. "He's making it sound like he had a chance with both of them."

"Che, yeah right," Uryuu scoffed as they all continued their way to the roof.

"Are the others already waiting for us?" Renji asked.

"Yup!" Orihime grinned at him, "Tatsuki-chan already went there with everyone else to pick out our spot. More and more students are starting to eat up there too." Just as she finished the four (now that Keigo was gone and still crying his eyes out somewhere) finally arrived at the roof. And immediately they saw their friends sitting at the usual spot. "We're here!"

The others looked up and waved at them. "What took you guys?" Tatsuki asked.

"Keigo," Renji answered her, getting an understanding look from her.

But before any one of them could take a step forward, they immediately noticed something odd in the number of groups. Tatsuki was sitting the closest to them, staring at them with a frown. Ikkaku and Yumichika were already arguing about who had the better fighting technique while Chad sat between them to make sure they didn't try and act out their words. Matsumoto, who was sitting next to them, was already poking fun at Hitsugaya. A third vein was about to make its appearance if it wasn't for Hinamori who was calming him down with her sweet smile. These should have been the only people waiting for them but instead there was another person, sitting next to Hinamori, that was throwing off the picture.

"Rukia?"

The said woman looked up and smiled once she noticed who were before her. "Hey guys. You finally came."

Everyone stared dumbfounded at her but Ichigo was scowling as he stomped over to her. "What the fuck are you doing here?" he gritted his teeth.

Rukia frowned at him by his tone. "What's with that attitude? I brought you your lunch and this is how you thank me?" She held up a bento box in front of him.

Ichigo growled as he shoved her arm down. "That's not important. I thought I told you to stay home and not walk around too much _alone_! Or did you forget you're pregnant and is an easy target for all those scumbags out there?"

Rukia rolled her eyes at his speech, which she had already heard a thousand times since she moved in with him two months ago. "Yes Ichigo, I know the facts. But Yuzu—"

"I don't care what other people says," he interrupted her, grabbing her wrist to pull her up, "I'm walking you back home. Let's go—WHAT?!" he screamed at him from annoyance and pain when she suddenly kicked his shin.

Rukia huffed as she yanked her arm free. "Don't be such a prude. It's not like something is going to happen in broad daylight."

"You don't know that, and that's something I do not want to risk," he sneered at her.

"You're just being over-protective again," Rukia glared at him.

The two were once again in a standstill, sparks flying between them as their friends watch on with interest. "I wonder if we should stop them," Hinamori voiced her opinion.

But Matsumoto just shushed her. "Don't be stupid. I want to see what they're going to do."

"But Kuchiki-san's pregnant. It's not good to be so stressed," she added.

At her words, Rukia quickly broke off the staring contest to turn back to her friends with smile. "I'm fine now, so don't worry."

"Like hell—ow!" Ichigo cringed when Rukia suddenly smacked him over the head.

"Shut up," she muttered at him, "I don't want to make them worry about me or the baby."

"And I can?" he glared back at her as he sat down next to her, a sign of defeat.

She rolled her eyes. "_You_ worry about the stupidest things."

"I can't wait to tell your kid about your relationship," Renji suddenly interjected.

"Shut up," Ichigo scowled at him.

"Anyways, why are you really here, Kuchiki-san?" Orihime asked.

Rukia lifted the bento box again. "Yuzu-chan forgot to give Ichigo his lunch so I volunteered to bring it to him."

"Well it's a good thing you used to be a student here or else you wouldn't have known what time lunch was," Orihime excitingly exclaimed.

Rukia smiled back widely in agreement. "Oh!" she gasped as she remembered something, "Ichigo told me the good news last night. I heard you're dating Ishida now. Congratulations."

Orihime blushed as she smiled embarrassingly. "Thank you," she said, Uryuu blushing next to her as they all sat down.

From a distance they could hear Keigo screaming in disbelief.

"So how far along are you now, Kuchiki-san?" Uryuu asked.

"Three months and three weeks," Rukia announced proudly as she held up her latest ultrasound picture.

"AW!" Orihime, Hinamori and Matsumoto squealed as they crowded around her to look at the picture. "Look at how big it got!"

Tatsuki leaned over and smirked at the picture before pointedly staring at the father. "Aren't you afraid the baby might get your hair?"

Ichigo just glared at her before muttering something like 'bitch…of course I am' under his breath as he started to eat the lunch that Rukia brought.

At her comment, Renji, Ikkaku and Yumichika started to laugh out loud. "I can already imagine it!" the bald one exclaimed, "The baby is going to come out with that crazy orange hair, scowling like the idiot father! HAHA—OOF!" he grunted when Ichigo threw the lid of the bento box at him, successfully shutting him up.

"Don't talk shit about my kid," the orange head flipped him off, "At least it won't grow up bald!"

Ikkaku quickly sat up to shove his head at him. "I'm not bald! I just do this to look bad ass!"

Ichigo scowled even more as he tried to push the shiny head away from him. "Keep telling yourself that."

"Why I ought a—"

"Calm down," Renji placed a hand on Ikkaku's shoulder, stopping him from throwing his punch, "It's not like you guys can stop this tragedy from repeating itself by beating the crap out of each other."

The two turned their glares at Renji as they both shouted, "Stay out of this pineapple! At least our kids won't have that gay red hair!"

A vein popped out as Renji cracked his knuckles. "Fucking bastards!" he screamed as he lunged forward at them.

While the three started their fight, Yumichika sighed as he flipped his hair back. "Ugly baboons. No need to show this much violence."

They immediately stopped to glare at him. "Don't tell me you would want your kid to have _that_ hair?" Ikkaku practically groaned in disgust at the shiny hair.

Yumichika flipped it back one more time before shrugging his shoulders. "Why wouldn't I want that? At least my children will be born beautiful because of it."

The three looked at each other in confusion before dismissing the beauty queen to restart their fight. They immediately started to brew up a small storm of dust as fists and kicks were being thrown around. The others on the roof ignored their unusually way of showing their friendship as they continued cooing over Rukia's sonogram. Noticing that nobody was going to do anything, Chad stood up and quickly stepped in to stop the fight, like always.

"So, have you thought of names yet?" Orihime asked.

Rukia shook her head. "We're planning on pushing that off until we find out the gender."

"When do you get to find out?" Matsumoto asked.

"By the fifth month," she answered, "I'm getting really excited."

"Interesting."

Rukia, who was smiling down at her stomach, looked up to frown. "Why?" she asked.

Matsumoto shrugged her shoulders. "Because you two are taking this too casually," she said, moving her pointing-finger between Rukia and a rumpled up Ichigo who just returned to his spot next to her after his fight.

"What's wrong with that?" Ichigo frowned.

"It's just that most teens our age would be freaking out at the idea of having a kid," she started, "They would try and get rid of it or neglect the poor baby for ruining their lives. But you two…well—"

"You two actually seem excited about this baby," Uryuu finished for her, "Like as if you guys have been wanting one all along."

Everyone became quiet as they thought about this. Ichigo and Rukia were staring at their friends before slowly looking at each other. They held each other's gazes, silently asking about one another's reasons for their reaction to the baby.

After a while, Ichigo scratched the back of his head as he finally answered. "Well, I guess it's because we both decided to take full responsibility. You know, raising it right with all the love and affection any other kid would get from their parents."

"Besides," Rukia continued, "Just because other teens neglect their kid doesn't mean we have to too."

"Good answer," Chad smiled.

"I still can't believe you two are having a kid together. And I can't help but question your sanity," Hitsugaya scoffed though he was smirking, "But still; I applaud you two for making such a mature decision."

"But is there really a baby in there?" Yumichika frowned as he stared at Rukia's stomach. "I still don't see any signs of pregnancy."

"In less than a month you'll be able to start seeing it," Rukia told him as she placed her hand on her still-flat stomach.

"I can't believe you're having a baby," Orihime cooed again as she leaned down to smile at Rukia's stomach. "In a few more months a beautiful baby will be born. And you two will become parents."

Rukia nodded with a smile while Ichigo just stared at her stomach. It was true that he accepted the face that he was having a baby with Rukia…But it was still hard to believe he was really having a baby. After all, there were no signs—except Rukia's morning sickness, weird food cravings, hormones, and sonograms—that was making Ichigo feel like a real father. He's only overprotective of Rukia because he had been reminding himself of this fact every second of the day to make it feel more real.

_Ding ding ding!_

Everyone looked up to groan when they heard the bell ringing. "Lunch is too short," Tatsuki sighed as she closed her bento.

Rukia took Ichigo's box and started to clear up his stuff. "You guys still have ten minutes before class starts."

"You're only saying that since you don't have to go to class anymore," Renji groaned before getting a sharp jab on the ribs by Tatsuki. "Ow! What was that for?!" he glared at her when she glared back at him, nodding her head to someone. Renji, while scowling, turned around only to lose color upon realizing his mistake. "Oh…um, sorry—shit."

Rukia, who had finished packing, just smiled sadly at them. "No problem."

"Nice going," Uryuu smacked Renji over the head but the red head didn't say anything back to it.

Ichigo also glared at Renji along with the rest as he stood up. He held his hand out to Rukia who grabbed it as she stood up. "Let me walk you home," he offered.

"No that's okay," she shook his head, "You have class—"

"I'm sure it's going to be fine," he interrupted as they all started to head back inside, "Besides, I'd feel a lot better if I see you returning home safely."

Rukia rolled her eyes. "Stop being so paranoid. Nothing's going to happen."

Uryuu suddenly came forward with Orihime and added his two-cents. "I think it'd be wise to follow him, Kuchiki-san. It's not safe to walk alone."

"Thank you," Ichigo smirked at Rukia much to her annoyance.

"Besides," he continued, "It will keep Kurosaki quiet during class. Who knows what he might do when he's going crazy with worry."

"Yea—Oi!" Ichigo glared at him.

"But seriously, Kuchiki-san," Orihime continued where her boyfriend left off, "It would also give the rest of us a peace at mind knowing you're safe."

Rukia sighed as they came to a stop by their classroom. "Guys, I'm going to be fine. Ichigo walked me home last time, so it's best not to keep doing this. Besides, Morita-sensei isn't nice when it comes to attendance."

Orihime was about to say something when she realized she was right. "True," she sighed in defeat.

Rukia smiled as she looked back up to Ichigo, who was scowling more than usual. "Why don't you just walk me to the lockers instead?" she suggested.

"…Fine," Ichigo groaned as he grabbed her hand and started to lead her away. Rukia looked back to wave good-bye at her friends before they turned the corner and into another hallway.

As they continued to walk, neither of them said anything. They were too busy trying to ignore the stares and whispers they were getting from other students and staffs who were in the halls. Rukia gulped as she looked up at Ichigo from the corner of her eyes only to see him ready to explode in anger. After all, the others weren't really hiding what they were thinking.

Some of the girls were glaring at Rukia, whispering "whore" and that she tied Ichigo to her by becoming pregnant. Some of the guys were giving her suggestive winks, saying how they could have given her a better time or that she was easy. And the school staff members just shook their heads at them, muttering something about how students these days can't keep 'it' in their pants.

"Ichigo," Rukia lightly pulled on his hand which she was still holding, "Do you want anything special for dinner tonight?" she asked, trying to ease up the tension.

"No," he growled, his eyebrows furrowing even further down his face.

"Oh…well then, do you want to watch a movie? I heard something really good just came out last week," she continued trying.

Ichigo turned to look at her, cutting her off with his look. "Rukia."

"Yeah?" she gulped. They suddenly stopped just before the lockers, still holding hands while looking into each other's eyes. The others were still staring and pointing at them and Rukia could see the obvious distraught in his eyes. She sighed, knowing nothing was going to keep his mind off what was happening. "Ichigo, just forget what they're—"

Her words got abruptly cut off when Ichigo grabbed the back of her head and yanked her upwards to collide with his lips. Rukia was taken aback by his uncharacteristic reaction to all the stares they were getting from other people—who gasped from the sudden public display of affection. But instead of resisting, she closed her eyes and kissed him back, inwardly rejoicing at his method of saving her.

After awhile Ichigo finally pulled away to smirk at her flustered expression. "How was that?" he asked breathlessly, making sure nobody else but Rukia could hear him.

Slightly out of breath, she nodded her head as a wide grin appeared. "I liked that. Thanks."

"Anytime midget," he smiled back as he released her. "And text me when you get home," he said more loudly.

Rukia nodded as she made her way out the school main doors, pleased to see everyone was still in shock by what just happened. Ichigo silently watched until Rukia was out of sight. But instead of bringing him relief, a ton of worry dropped onto his shoulders.

"What's up with that gloomy look?"

He turned his head to see Renji suddenly standing next to him, an arm resting on the orange head's shoulder. Ichigo rolled his shoulders back to shake him off as he looked back up to where Rukia had disappeared. "I'm just worried about her safety."

"Che, she's a strong girl," he said.

Ichigo's scowl deepened. "Yeah, but she's pregnant right now."

Renji opened his mouth to say something back, but nothing came to mind so he shut it. After a few seconds of the tense silence—which he never really fared well under—he cleared his throat to try and change the subject. "So…um, what was up with that kiss?"

"What kiss?" Ichigo asked as he finally turned around to walk back to class. He didn't even notice how everyone was literally gawking at him.

Renji snorted again. "You know what I'm talking about," he winked, "You just kissed Rukia in front of dozens of students."

Ichigo's shoulder tensed for a second. "Yeah, so?"

The red head rolled his head back in laughter. "Dude, don't get so worked up. I'm just praising you for how you stood up for your girl when those idiots—" he pointed behind them to where the other students were staring at them, "—were talking shit. It was pretty romantic."

"Shut up," Ichigo spat out, "And don't address Rukia as _my_ girl. She's not some object that people can possess."

"But you're acting like one," Renji smirked.

"Why are you talking as if you're fine with this relationship?" he asked, coming to a halt. "Weren't you the one who liked her? Not Keigo-like like, but had a crush on her and everything when she first came here?"

The red head scratched the back of his head as he tried to think of an answer. "Yeah I did…but, well, it's different now."

"How so?"

"Dude, never go after your friend's woman, whether it's official or not," he quickly added before Ichigo could retort, "The moment you guys kissed, Rukia became off limits from your friends. Besides, it was just a small crush, no biggie. I'm totally fine with it."

But even with his reassuring grin, Ichigo still felt like he wasn't telling the truth. "Com'on man, don't lie to me. It's fine if you still—"

"Hey!" his eyebrows furrowed a bit, "I just told you that it's okay. So stop trying to worry over something that you don't have to. Instead, why don't you worry about your woman and the cargo she's carrying," he smirked, noticing the blush appearing on his friend's face, "I'm sure she would appreciate the attention more than me." Renji quickly walked away before Ichigo could retort, entering their classroom and to their group of friends.

Ichigo only glared at the back of his so-called friend as he returned to his seat. He slumped down and closed his eyes, nothing but Rukia clouding his mind. Already he was starting to wonder where she was, how fast she's walking, if she took the right turn or not, etc. _Damn_, he cursed inwardly, _If I'm already this overprotective, what is it going to be like once the baby is born?_

_Bzz. Bzz. Bzz._

Ichigo was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts when his phone started to vibrate in his pocket. Pulling it out, he opened his phone and placed it next to his ear without checking the caller. "Hello?" he answered, his voice a little annoyed.

"_Does this make you feel better_?"

Ichigo was quiet for a moment before a smile spread across his lips again. He stood up and walked over to lean against the window so nobody could hear him. "Yes, much better." He heard Rukia chuckling on the other side before he asked where she was now.

"_I'm passing the snack shop. I had a craving for some ice cream so I bought one,_" she replied.

Ichigo groaned as he leaned his forehead against the cold window glass. "I know the doctor said it's good to eat a lot, but please tone down on the junk food. You wouldn't want to give birth to a twenty-pound baby, now would you?"

Again, Rukia laughed out loud. _"You worry too much._"

"I can't help it," he chuckled.

"_Well in any case, do you have to stay late today?" _she asked.

Ichigo waited a second as he waited for her to eat some ice cream that he could hear her licking before answering. "Nah, I don't have clean-up duty today so I can come home straight. You want me to get you anything?"

"_Hmm…_," she paused to think. "_How about some strawberries?"_

Ichigo slightly blushed, even though he knew she was referring to the fruit and not…um, well, _him_. "Are you serious?" he grunted, placing his warm cheek against the window.

Rukia laughed from the other side. _"Why? Is there a problem_?"

"I know you're doing this deliberately to make fun of me."

"_You know me too well._"

Ichigo sighed as he peered outside. "What are you going to do once you get home?"

"_I don't know," _she replied, "_Probably help obaachan with cleaning and later help Yuzu with dinner."_

"Please don't," he begged.

"_Why not? I'm not going to get hurt—"_

"No. I'm more worried that you might destroy the house," he smirked.

"_Bastard,"_ she snarled over the phone, making it easy for him to imagine her scowl.

He chuckled. "Where are you now?"

"_I'm by the park now,"_ she informed him, _"I'm almost home so—just a second,"_ her voice suddenly hardened.

Ichigo stood up straight as a creeping feeling went down his spine. Something was wrong and he could tell by the weird sounds coming from the other side of the phone. It sounded like Rukia was now talking to someone else but he could barely make out what they were saying, suggesting that she was covering the phone.

He remained completely still to try and listen to what was happening but all he got was some ruffling of clothes and incomprehensible mumbling. He was so focused that he didn't even hear the bell ringing and Morita-sensei entering the room.

"Okay class let's—Kurosaki!" he gasped when he noticed the orange head against the window. "Turn off your phone and return to your seat immediately!"

But Ichigo just ignored him as he continued listening. As the teacher went on and on about meeting the principal and going to detention, he finally heard something, but it wasn't what he was hoping for.

"_HEY! LET GO OF ME!"_

"Kurosaki!"

"SHIT!" Ichigo cursed as he quickly ran out of the classroom, leaving his teacher dumbfounded. He didn't stop when Morita-sensei shouted after him. He didn't even stop to change his shoes as he ran out the school. _Shit, shit, shit, shit!_ he continued cursing in his head as he ran with all his might to the park that Rukia told him.

Nothing stopped him as he ran. No matter how many people he ended up bumping against, no matter how many times he had to cut across the busy street, he just kept running. Images of his mother, bloody and dead, kept flashing in his mind as he started to panic. _Please be okay!_

"Hey, don't leave," a male voice came from not too far away.

"I said let go!" a female voice this time, and it sounded strained.

Ichigo skidded to a stop when he saw Rukia in front of him. But her arm was being held by a rough looking man, possibly a senior from their school judging by the uniform he was wearing. But what was really occupying Ichigo's mind was Rukia: her face was contorted in annoyance and pain. Any exhaustion he felt from his run was quickly replaced by anger.

"Com'on, don't struggle," the student held his grip as he stroked one of her cheeks, "I know you went after Kurosaki because of his bad-ass look. But I promise I'm much better."

"I said 'no'," Rukia muttered as she started to lose her patience. For the past few minutes she's been trying to get away. But whenever she turned to leave, he would just grab her arm and yank her back harder each time. If this had happened a few months sooner, she would have had no trouble beating the crap out of this guy, but the fact that her lower abdomen was now starting to feel uncomfortable, it was keeping her still from doing anything irrational.

"Don't you like this?" he whispered against her ear.

_Shit!_ she cursed inwardly, _I should have listened to Ichigo!_

The student snickered as he reached to run his fingers through her raven hair. "Now, shut up and—" his words were suddenly cut off when a hand came out of nowhere and yanked him away from the girl he was trying to seduce. "EUGH!" he grunted as he tumbled onto the ground. He winced at the sudden painful fall and glared up to see the person who got in his way. "What the fuck—" for the second time his words got cut off when he realized who was in front of him.

Once Ichigo grabbed the back of his shirt, he yanked him away with a swift pull and immediately steadied Rukia by holding her gently against his chest. He glared down at the senior and growled, "What the fuck are you doing with Rukia?"

The senior just stared up at him in shock for a few seconds before returning the glare. "Haven't you ever heard of a 'simple conversation,' Kurosaki? I was just helping out Kuchiki there."

Ichigo snorted before looking down at Rukia checking to see if she was hurt anywhere. "You okay? Want me to take you to the hospital?"

Rukia shook her head. "No, I'm fine, just a bit nerve wrecked. Just take me home. Your father can check me out."

"Okay," he nodded as he started to lead her away.

"Oi!" the senior stepped forward and grabbed his shoulder. "Don't turn your back at me! I should beat you up for what you did!"

A vein popped out as Ichigo quickly turned to deliver a hard right hook at the man in front of him. And before the senior fell down, Ichigo grabbed the front of his uniform and tossed him to the side by kicking him hard in the guts. The senior grunted as he doubled over in pain.

As soon as his knees touched the ground, Ichigo grabbed the top of his head and yanked his head up to deliver his scariest glare. "Come near her again, I promise you won't get out of this alive. Got it?" he snarled at him.

The senior quickly nodded his head before Ichigo shoved him away. He scrambled to his feet and made a run for it as Ichigo returned to Rukia, who was breathing deeply to calm herself down.

"You okay?" he asked softly as he stood in front of her, placing a hand over her cheek.

Rukia sighed as she leaned against his chest. "I was scared," she answered truthfully.

Ichigo nodded as he wrapped an arm around her. "Next time, please listen to me?"

"…I will," she sighed in defeat.

"Good." Ichigo couldn't help but smirk as he stepped back to turn his back to her. He crouched down and turned his head to look back at her. "Get on. I don't want you walking right now."

Rukia nodded as she gently wrapped her arms around his neck. Ichigo hooked his arms under each knee and started the last few blocks to the clinic. The two remained quiet, not trusting themselves to talk at the moment. Luckily he arrived at their destination quickly. Instead of going through the back door, Ichigo headed to the front where he knew his father would be.

The bell chimed as the glass door swung open.

Isshin looked up from the table with his usual smile. "WELCOME—huh?" his smile died the moment he saw his son in front of him. "Ichigo? Why aren't you at school?"

"A little help, please?" Ichigo groaned as he tilted his head to the side to show the person on his back.

Isshin gasped. "Rukia-chan! What happened?"

The young woman let out a small chuckle. "Long story."

"Which wouldn't have happened in the first place if only she had listened to me," Ichigo commented, getting a glare aimed at the back of his head.

"Well, it might be serious but let's do a quick check up just in case." Isshin quickly led them to a spare room. As Ichigo gently laid Rukia on the bed, Isshin quickly gathered all his equipment. "Ichigo, I need you to stay outside as I examine her."

"What?!" Ichigo exclaimed, "How can I do that when she—"

"Ichigo," Isshin stopped him, giving him a serious look which was uncommon. Knowing he meant business, Ichigo just gulped as he nodded his head.

Rukia smiled as she grabbed his hand. "I'll be fine. Don't worry," she reassured him with her cheerful tone. Again Ichigo nodded just before heading out of the room. With one last look, he closed the door behind him and went to sit on one of the seats against the wall.

Slumping in his seat, Ichigo looked blankly in front of him, trying to calm himself after everything that just happened. Luckily it was nothing serious that could have hurt the baby, but still…

"I'm already whipped by that kid," he sighed.

_Bzz! Bzz! Bzz!_

Ichigo was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts when his phone starting vibrating again. Reaching into his pocket, he grabbed the shaking object and flipped it open. "Yeah?" he sighed.

"_Ichigo! Where the hell are you?!_"

The orange head slightly cringed at the loud voice. "Calm down, Tatsuki. I'm at my place right now."

"_Well, why are you there?! Do you know how much trouble you're in!"_ she continued yelling.

"That's not important," he replied, "I was talking to Rukia on the phone when I heard something that freaked me out." He paused, waiting for a reply, but when there was nothing but silence, he continued his story. "When I got to her, she was being harassed by some upperclassman from our school. I beaten the shit out of that guy and brought her to my dad for a check-up, just in case."

"…_WHAT THE FUCK?!_"

Ichigo nodded. "Yeah, my thoughts exactly."

"_Who is this bastard?! I'll gather the troops and kill him!"_

A weird picture of his friends in military uniform popped in his mind. "No, there's no need to go that far. I think I scared him enough as it is."

"_I don't care," _she snarled at him, _"I'm not just going to sit by and let some fucker get away with hurting my _pregnant_ friend!"_

Ichigo smirked. "Thanks for the offer. If you really want to know, it shouldn't be too hard since he looks all beaten up."

"_Roger. I'll keep a look out for him. So, how is she now?"_ she asked, her voice starting to panic.

"I'm still waiting. But I don't think it's anything serious."

A sigh of relief came from the other side. "_Well, I guess I can tell the teachers so you don't get in trouble. But you should still have your father contact the school or something."_

"I know. Thanks for the help," Ichigo slightly smiled.

"_No problem. We'll come by later but text me once you find out, okay?"_

"Okay," he replied before hanging up the phone, knowing full well she would take care of things back at school. He remained in his seat for almost an hour, panic starting to rise in his chest as the minute hand kept ticking away. If there was nothing wrong, then why was it taking so long?

Just as his thoughts ended, the door finally opened and his father stepped out. Ichigo stood up and looked at his father who was reading his charts. "Well?" he asked.

Isshin looked up to smile at him. "Everything's fine. She's just a little stressed by what happened."

A sigh of relief came from him. "So we don't have to go to the hospital?"

Isshin shook his head. "No, she'll be fine after some rest. She's already asleep so it's okay if you go see her. Just don't wake her."

"Got it," and without waiting another second, Ichigo quickly rushed into her room. He wasn't worried about informing his father what had happened since he was sure Rukia already told him everything. And Isshin would be able to explain everything to the others, which would save Ichigo the trouble.

As soon as he sat down next to the bed, Ichigo turned his attention to the sleeping woman in front of him. She was breathing evenly, her complexion slightly back to their normal shade. Another sigh of relief came from him as he stared at her. His eyes then trailed down to her stomach where he stared at silently for several seconds. Finally, he gently placed a trembling hand on her stomach.

A small gasp escaped his lips when he felt a small bump forming at the base of her stomach. It wasn't much to give it a clear pregnant-form, but it was enough to feel the growth of the baby.

A real baby.

_His _baby.

_Their _baby.

An unbelievable amount of love and affection suddenly filled Ichigo as he steadied his hands to feel the bump more thoroughly. In here, in this tiny person, lies his one and only child. He looked up to see Rukia peacefully sleeping with a small smile on her face.

She never looked so beautiful.

"I'm going to protect you," he whispered at her before looking back at her stomach. "I'm going to protect both of you forever."

* * *

A/N: I noticed that in a few of my stories I like to write a scene where Rukia is attacked and Ichigo comes to save her. I should try a story when it goes the other way sometime...but not now. Anyways, so how was it? It came out pretty long because I added some random scenes with their friends...but I had to include them somewhere to show how much support they were getting. And I had to add a little thing with Renji because 1) I wrote a little bit about it in the sequel so I have to have in this story, and 2) to show how he values his friendships so much that it doesn't take him long to step aside and cheer for them. I think he can be a sweetheart if he wanted to be....just waiting for something like that to happen for real in the actual manga...(okay, so something similar happened but Ichigo and Rukia haven't realized their feelings yet so it's not complete!)

Anyways, thanks for reading and please review!

Preview for next chapter:

Finding out the gender


	8. Gender

**Author's Note: Hello my readers! I am back with another chapter just for you! Thanks for all the lovely reviews and support for my stories. I get all gooey inside every time I check my email to see so many reviews/favorite/alert messages. I'm glad to know my stories are fun to read.**

**Well, this chapter is pretty much explained in the title. This was hard for me to write and I was about to push it back another week to work on it but in the end I think it came out somewhat decent. Sorry for any mistakes/awkward sentences/OOC-ness from any of the characters. **

**Well, Read and Enjoy!  
**

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Bleach

* * *

Chapter 8: Gender

* * *

Rukia sighed as she checked her watch. She arrived a few minutes too early and now she was just waiting for bell to ring to signify the end of whatever class they were currently in. Leaning against the school gate, she picked up her phone when it started vibrating. When she flipped open her phone she noticed a text from Ichigo.

_Are you here yet?_

She quickly punched back a quick text. _Yes. Hurry up._

In a few seconds a reply came back. _Alright. Just one more minute._

Closing her phone, Rukia looked up at the school building that she hadn't visited in weeks ever since the incident with that senior schoolmate that tried hitting on her. Apparently, whenever he appeared even a few yards from Ichigo or her other friends, they would immediately start cracking their knuckles, sending the man running the other way. It was nice to know so many people took care of her, but that didn't mean they had to scare the man to death every time.

But that didn't stop the smile forming on her face.

Placing a hand on her growing stomach, she rubbed it up and down in deep thought. Today was finally the day.

_Ding ding ding!_ She heard the bell ringing from afar.

In less than a second she saw an orange blur running out of the school building. He skidded to a halt and tried to keep his composure through his labored breaths. "L-let's…ugh…go."

Rukia laughed out loud when she saw his distraught appearance. "You didn't have to rush out of there _that_ fast."

"Don't be stupid," he huffed as he grabbed her hand and led her away. "I'm only excused for lunch and two classes. We need to finish the appointment today."

She smiled as she fell into step with him. "You didn't have to come with me."

"Psch," he snorted, "Why wouldn't I be there for you and the baby? Besides, today is a special day."

Instead of retorting, she nodded in agreement as they stopped at a bus stop, waiting for the bus to take them to downtown where Karakura Hospital was located at.

Today was the day they were going to find out the sex of their child. And because of this special day, Ichigo got permission to leave school during the middle of the day to accompany her as long as he returned within a few hours.

Everyone, especially the young parents, was excited to find out. Even as they got on the bus, Ichigo was having a hard time containing his excitement. But instead of running and screaming around like his father, he just expressed it by squeezing Rukia's hand as they sat down.

"So," he whispered so nobody else could hear them, "Which do you prefer: a boy or a girl?"

Rukia shrugged her shoulders. "I don't really mind. As long as the baby is delivered safely and is healthy."

He nodded as he placed a hand to rub her five-months, swollen stomach. "I agree. But I still would like to hear which one you'd prefer."

"Geez, why are you so persistent?" she jokingly slapped his arm. "Since you want to know so badly, why don't you tell me your preference first?"

"Okay." He sat up straight and placed an arm behind her on the seat. "I've been thinking and I like the idea of a boy."

"Sexist?"

He glared at her. "No. What I meant is that a boy is easier for me to raise. If we get a girl then I'd definitely be so overprotective of her that I know I'll never let her leave my side…or marry for that matter." He slightly cringed at the thought.

"But I wouldn't mind a little girl," she pouted.

He smirked at her cute expression. "I wouldn't mind either, as long as she doesn't grow up to be a bitch like you." His comment was immediately repaid with a stomp on his feet.

"I hope our son doesn't inherit that ugly mug of yours."

"Bitch," he snarled as he tried to keep his scream at bay.

She lightly chuckled as she placed a tired head on his shoulder. "It's not a bad thing to be overprotective."

He sighed as he placed his head on top of hers. "I know, but at least with a boy I can teach him how to protect himself."

"From what? Crazy fan girls?" she snickered.

"No," he nudged her head, "From crazy people like you." Again he was rewarded with her grinding her heel on his toe. "Alright," he growled in pain.

She snorted though she snuggled deeper in his warmth. They both remained quiet as they watched the buildings and people pass them through the large windows. Random thoughts came into their mind as the bus drove on by.

Rukia was busy thinking about all the things that came with having a baby. Kurosaki Isshin had fixed up the large storage room on the second floor so it could be used as the nursery for now. They had to paint the room, add designs on the wall, set up the crib, a changing table, a dresser… The list just went on and on. Not to mention the bath tub, the bottles, and the ever-so-required diapers.

However, Ichigo was thinking about a lot of other things. For starters, his arm behind Rukia came forward to wrap around her shoulder, holding her tighter against him. He didn't like the way the people on the bus were staring at them.

In fact, some of the elderly folks were _glaring_ at them.

Without having to ask, he knew exactly what they were glaring at. Here they were, two high school students (obviously Ichigo was a student since he was wearing his school uniform), on their way to the hospital while discussing about the sex of their baby. Not to mention the actual baby bump that was _very _visible through her dress now. He placed a protective hand back on her stomach, kissing the top of her head.

Rukia was suddenly pulled out of her thoughts when she felt his lips. "Huh? What was that for?"

Ichigo looked down into her eyes with a smile. "Nothing. Why, is something wrong?"

She frowned at him. "You're just suddenly acting sweet, that's all."

"I'm always sweet," he kissed the crown of her head again, but this time got a scoff from her. He grinned into her hair, ignoring all the looks they were getting.

Sure they weren't sure what kind of relationship they were in now, but that didn't mean they didn't care about each other. And they weren't going to be bad parents just because they were having an unplanned baby.

No, in fact, they were going to shower this baby with so much love that no one can look down on them.

The moment the familiar area came into view, Ichigo quickly pressed the button on the side of the bus, triggering the buzzer to signal the driver to pull up in the next stop. Once the bus pulled to a halt Ichigo got up and held out a hand to help her up. Without feeling bothered by the criticizing looks, the two held hands as they got off the bus together.

As the bus drove away, Ichigo and Rukia looked up to see the giant hospital building standing in front of them. Slowly starting to feel nervous at what was to come, Ichigo tightened his grip on her hand as they entered the building.

"This is it," he whispered.

Rukia nodded as they came up to the front counter. "Hello," she greeted the nurse in front, "I have an appointment today?"

The young nurse looked up and smiled sweetly. "Name?"

"Kuchiki Rukia."

"Alright." She immediately started fumbling through her computer before smiling back up at her. "Suzuki-sensei will be with you in a moment. Just take a seat over there."

"Thank you," Rukia smiled back sweetly as Ichigo led her to the lobby where the chairs were laid out. He helped her sit down on a small couch and sat down next to her. She smiled as his hands immediately came to her stomach. "I'm nervous."

"Me too," he nodded.

"We can finally start picking out stuff for the baby once we know the sex," she continued, "Yuzu and obaachan has been going on and on about all these baby stuff they saw in my magazines."

Ichigo cringed at the thought of how that could dent his wallet. Since he was the father, Ichigo wanted to pay for most of the stuffs, but being just a student he didn't have much money except for all the allowances he's been saving. Luckily, Isshin excitingly stepped up to help raising his grandchild—with absolutely no fuss or consequence.

"Kuchiki Rukia?"

"Yes." Rukia, with Ichigo's help, got up to shake hands with her doctor. "Good to see you again."

Suzuki-sensei smiled as she released Rukia's hand. "Likewise. And it's good to see you again, Kurosaki-kun," she said as she shook Ichigo's hand next.

The orange head nodded. "Yes, good to see you again too."

"Well, follow me." She immediately led them down the halls and passed several rooms until they reached her office. "Let's check your weight first." Rukia followed her lead to the corner of the office where a scale was located. Ichigo sat down on a spare chair by the door as the doctor went over to grab her stuff while Rukia took off her shoes and stepped up to the stand. Standing up straight, the doctor came over and read the weight. Looking at her charts, she smiled brightly. "Looks like you gained 4.6 kg. That's good."

"How much am I suppose to gain by the end of the pregnancy?"

The doctor wrote some stuff as she answered, "Around 11 to 16 kg."

Rukia gasped. "Just how big is this baby going to be?"

The older woman lightly chuckled. "No dear. The baby should be a little over 3 kg, but there are a lot of other stuffs that forms the protective layer of the womb. Okay now, sit on the table and we'll check your blood pressure."

"Okay." After getting her shoes back on, Rukia went over to the examination table and sat on the edge. She remained still as the doctor wrapped the fabric cuff around Rukia's arm.

"So how are you?" she asked, starting a simple conversation as she started to pump air into the cuff.

The petite woman shrugged her other shoulder. "Not bad. I'm starting to feel the baby move."

"That's a good sign," she replied as she checked the number on the blood pressure reader. She wrote the number in her charts before ripping apart the Velcro ends. She placed it back in the rack on the wall as she helped Rukia sit higher up on the table. "Okay, lift up your shirt so we can start the ultrasound."

Lowering the zipper on the side, Rukia lifted the bottom of her body to pull down her skirt a little bit before lifting her shirt up until it rested under her breast. Lying straight on her back, she looked to the side to watch Suzuki-sensei gather up her equipment. As everything got ready, she took in a deep breath and looked up at the white ceiling.

The doctor stood next to Rukia and was just about to spread the gel on her lower abdomen when she looked behind her. "You can come up closer, if you want."

A startled Ichigo looked up. "Oh…C-can I?" He didn't know why he suddenly stuttered.

The kind doctor smiled. "Of course. After all, this is your baby."

"Okay," he gulped as he stood up from his seat. As he reached the other side of the table that Rukia was lying on, he gratefully accepted the doctor's chair, before settling down next to her. He took one of her hands and held it tightly.

"You two ready?"

They both nodded. "Yes."

"Alright, let's do this." The cold gel was squirted onto Rukia's round stomach. She gasped slightly from it, but remained still as the doctor placed the scanner over the gel and started to rub it around.

Both looked up at the monitor when they heard the sound of the baby's heartbeat.

No matter how many times they heard it, it still amazed them that they were actually listening to the living heartbeat of their baby. Ichigo squeezed her hand tighter in excitement.

Suzkui-sensei pressed several buttons before moving the screen so it was more visible to the parents. "There is your baby," she pointed.

Rukia gasped as she saw the definite shape of their baby. "Oh my gosh," she breathlessly stared at the screen.

"Look at that," Ichigo grinned as he leaned closer. "There's our baby."

Suzuki-sensei smiled brightly as she watched the happiness that appeared on both face. Never, in all her years working at the hospital, had she seen two teenage—un-expecting—parents with so much excitement sparkling in their eyes as they looked at their unborn baby. "Shall I tell you the gender?"

They both nodded. "Yes."

"Okay…" Pulling the monitor closer to her again, she examined the baby closely before pointing at something at the screen. "There it is."

Ichigo frowned as he tried to lean in even closer. "''There is' what?"

"His genital."

They both gasped.

She nodded. "It's a boy."

---

Ichigo couldn't wipe off the wide grin on his face as he 'watched' his teacher writing stuff on the board. He only had one more class to go after this, and it wasn't going fast enough. He wanted to quickly get home and play with Rukia's stomach again.

After all, he wanted to spend as much time with his _son_ as possible.

A sigh of relief came from him as the bell finally rung and the teacher quickly left. Thus started the ten minutes break.

"Ichigo!"

"Kurosaki-kun!"

The said man looked up to see the girls all rushing over to him with anticipating smiles. "What?" He tried to act annoyed but his excitement couldn't be contained, nor his grin.

"So?" Hinamori asked, "Did you two find out the gender today?"

He looked around the crowd and nodded. "Yup."

"What is it?" Orihime was literally shaking with curiosity.

"Check it out." He pulled out the latest picture in his wallet and proudly displayed it out to his friends. "We're having a boy."

"Kya!" The girls—minus Tatsuki of course—squealed as they grabbed the picture for a closer look.

"Congrats, dude," Renji slapped him on the back. "You're more of a man than I thought."

Tatsuki frowned at his words. "Why do guys think its more 'manly' to have a son as a firstborn? It's sexist, if you ask me."

"I'm not sexist," the red head tried to explain, "It's just…well, back in the days it was thought like that."

"Back when?" she glared.

"Um…" he scratched his bright red hair, obviously getting confused.

"Just shut up," Ichigo elbowed Renji in the guts, "You're just making yourself an enemy by continuing." Somehow his words seemed to have hit home because Renji closed his mouth and looked away.

"How's Kuchiki-san doing?" Hinamori asked.

Ichigo smiled. "She's fine. Before getting to the hospital she talked about wanting a girl, but the moment we were told it was a boy, she was literally jumping up and down in her seat with excitement. I'm guessing Yuzu and dad are already helping her plan the color-scheme for the nursery."

"Just how big is that storage room?" Tatsuki frowned remembering how she was told they were using that room for the nursery.

"It's actually pretty big," he replied, "When we moved everything out of there, it was pretty big but still not big enough. So my old man started renovating that place less than a week after Rukia moved in and it's bigger now. I think there's enough room for at least five Chad's." They all looked up to see the giant silently staring at the sonogram.

"So have you guys decided on a name?" Uryuu asked as he suddenly appeared next to Orihime. "Please don't tell me it's something fruit related."

Ichigo glared at him. "Fuck off, Ishida. And no, we haven't thought of one."

"Why?" Orihime tilted her head to the side with a slight pout. "Shouldn't you guys already have some sort of list or something?"

He shook his head as he took back the sonogram of his baby. "A lot of people have been recommending some names but nothing really stuck out to us yet. I think Rukia wants to wait until _after_ the baby is born."

Renji smirked as he slung an arm around the orange head. "Time is ticking, man. You should quickly decide something for that son of yours. How about something in the lines of 'orange' or 'mango.'"

"Shut up," Ichigo shoved him away.

However, Uryuu nodded at Renji's comment. "Although I don't like his choice of names—" he pointed at Renji, "—I do agree that you guys should pick a name soon. What happens if neither of you guys can come up with one by then?"

"Then the kid will just be called 'unnamed,'" Renji snickered.

This time everyone rolled their eyes at him. "Dumbass," Tatsuki mumbled to the side.

"We'll think of something," Ichigo said, "I'm sure pops is already preparing a huge list so I'll see what I can do."

"Can we come over later?" Hinamori asked, grinning brightly, "I want to feel her tummy again."

"Why are girls so obsessed with that?" Renji asked.

She shrugged her shoulders. "It's just amazing to know that a baby is really living in there."

Ichigo couldn't help but nod in agreement. "I know what you mean, but I don't think today's a good day to come over. My dad is probably planning something so you guys should wait until this weekend."

"Aw, but why that long?" Orihime pouted.

Uryuu patted her shoulder. "I'm sure they have their reasons. It's not like the baby is going anywhere in a few days so calm down."

In the midst of their conversation about the baby, Hitsugaya entered the room with a piece of paper in his hand. "Kurosaki," he called out, "Can you hand this to Kuchiki? She forgot to fill out this form last time."

"Sure," he grabbed the paper. "What's it for?"

Hitsugaya shrugged his shoulders. "A teacher gave it to me while I was coming back from my student council meeting. It's nothing too big but it ensures her resignation from school."

"Wouldn't that technically be considered important?" Tatsuki smirked.

He rolled his eyes. "You're taking things too seriously. I doubt it's that important since she is technically out of school already. They just want to do this properly since she is still in this neighborhood." The sonogram in Ichigo's hand suddenly came into his eyes and he smirked. "So did you two find out the gender?"

The grin came back as Ichigo held up the picture. "Yeah, we're having a boy."

"Congratulations," he said as he tilted his head to get a better look. "So what's it like to know you're having a boy?"

"I dunno," he answered, "I still can't believe I'm actually going to be a father in a little more than four months."

"It's surreal. Who would have thought this would happen to you," Tatsuki said.

"With the new girl no less," Renji added.

Ichigo kicked him under the table. "Shut up. At least I got her, while all you did was mop around how your crush got away."

The red head gasped at the unexpected comeback. "Man…you don't say shit like that to your buddies!" he whined, face going crimson, "Besides, I told you I don't feel that way for her anymore!"

"Aww, is Abarai blusing," Tatsuki laughed out loud.

"Shut up, Arisawa!" he glared at her.

"Wow, I've never seen his face turn so red," Uryuu pointed out blankly.

"It's almost the color of his hair!" Orihime gasped as she looked at her boyfriend, "That can't be good!"

"Hell right it's not 'good!'" he suddenly growled, "I'm not blushing nor am I still into Rukia so lay off it!"

"Who's not into Kuchiki?"

Everyone looked up at the door to see Matsumoto grinning at them.

"So," she continued as she walked up to where they were all standing, "Who's not into Kuchiki?"

"Him," Orihime pointed at a fuming Renji.

Matsumoto stared at his expression before laughing out loud. "Ahahaha! Is Renji-koo still having a crush on Kuchiki?"

"I do not!" he screamed.

"Whatever," she waved her hand to dismiss his argument and was getting ready to fight back when she noticed the obvious black-and-white picture in Ichigo's hand. "AHHHH!" she squealed, "I wanna see." Before Ichigo could hand it to her, Matsumoto snatched the picture out of his hand—by now completely forgetting about Renji—and cooed at the picture. "Aw, it's so cute! Look how big it is. Did you guys find out the gender?"

"A boy," everyone answered.

"Awww," she grinned childishly, "We're going to see a little Ichigo soon. Hopefully he won't adopt your permanent scowl."

Ichigo merely grunted, already having heard all the jokes from Rukia when he walked her home after the hospital.

_Ding ding ding_

"Matsumoto, break is over," Ichigo said as he tried to get back his picture, but she held on tightly. "Matsumoto," he snarled as he tried to yank it back without damaging it.

But she wouldn't budge.

"MATSUMOTO!" they all shouted.

"What?" she pouted, finally letting go of the picture, and slightly throwing Ichigo off. "I wanna stay and coo at the picture more."

"You can do that when we go see Kuchiki, so get out!" Hitsugaya grabbed the back of her collar and proceeded to drag her out.

"Nooooooooo!" she cried but nobody moved to help her as he pushed her out and slammed the door at her face. Her cries continued outside until they heard a teacher come by to whisk her back to her own class.

---

"And then we're going to paint the walls all yellow because that's what Masaki did for our kids. It's going to give my little grandson a sunnier disposition…unlike his father. But I'll make sure he spends more time with me so he takes after me and not become all grumpy like Ichigo. Oh! And let's not forget Yume-san's grace and intelligence that will surely make him a good person. With my genes, Masaki, and Rukia-chan's, this baby can't go wrong! Urahara and I already made a bet on it!"

Ichigo groaned as his father gave him the thumbs up.

Karin, who was sitting on the couch, also groaned. "Shut up. You've been saying the same thing since I got home."

"Because I have to make sure everything comes true for my grandson," Isshin huffed, "We need to prepare everything before he arrives. Aren't I right, Yume-san?"

The elderly woman laughed. "Yes, there is a lot to prepare. Now that we know the gender it's time to organize the nursery." She then looked up at Isshin and added, "I hope we can add some blue to the yellow walls."

"Why of course!" Isshin nodded enthusiastically, "We can put up some wallpapers around the edge of the walls in blue or other manly colors."

"What can I help out otousan?" Yuzu asked, her eyes glittering with excitement.

Isshin patted his daughter's head. "Why, thank you for asking my dear daughter. You can help Rukia-chan with picking out the clothes. We must pick out some manly outfits."

"Yes sir!" she saluted.

As the chaos continued, Karin looked at her older brother, who was sitting next to her, in pity. "I feel sorry for you with the old goat planning everything for _your _baby."

The orange head sighed. "I don't know why I even bother trying to argue against him. It just goes on deaf ears."

"And we mustn't forget to put up a poster of Masaki in the nursery."

Ichigo dropped his head in defeat.

"MASAKI! WE'RE HAVING A GRANDSON!" Isshin cried as he ran over to the poster on the wall.

"I can't take anymore of this." Ichigo was about to make his escape but Rukia, who was sitting on his other side, grabbed him.

"Don't think about it Kurosaki Ichigo," she threatened. "I had to listen to your father ever since I got back. Now it's your turn to suffer."

"Bitch," Ichigo grumbled, "Get out of my way before I throw you—"

His words got abruptly cut off when his father suddenly jumped on him.

"AHHH!"

"ICHIGO! Don't you dare threaten my beautiful third-daughter when she's carrying precious cargo!"

"GET OFF ME!" Ichigo tried shoving his father off of him but Isshin grabbed him in a headlock.

"You're still a hundred years too early to fight against me, boy! How do you expect to protect my grandson with such pathetic skills?"

"By killing idiots like you from ever getting near him!" Mustering all the strength that he had, Ichigo got out of his father's grasp and kicked him to the other side of the living room.

"Oh my!" Yume gasped at the violence, still not used to it after living in this chaotic house for months.

"Oniichan! Don't aim him at any of the furniture!" Yuzu pouted.

"Ah, my bad," Ichigo sat back down and slumped in his seat.

Rukia smiled as she leaned her head against his shoulder. "Just hang on for a few more months and I'm sure he'll calm down."

"Not likely," Karin said as she leaned over her brother to explain to her more clearly. "The moment you pop out that kid, that old goat is going to get worse. I bet even you won't get as much time with your baby."

"And not to mention he seems set to spoil him," Yume added with a little concern. "I wanted to do that job."

"Why, that's not a problem!" With blood dripping down his forehead, Isshin suddenly appeared next to Yume with his usual goofy grin. "We can _both_ spoil my little grandson until he becomes the object of jealousy by everyone around him!"

Ichigo groaned as he dropped his head back against the couch. "Please kill me."

"No way," Karin grinned at him, "I want to watch you suffer as you _try_ to raise your kid with this guy still kicking around."

Rukia chuckled as she rubbed her belly. "And I want you alive so you can get me more food."

Ichigo glared at the woman resting against him. "You're eating up my entire wallet, you know that!"

"And very well she should!" Isshin crossed his arms and he nodded as if he was discussing something serious. "Rukia-chan should be treated like a queen for carrying your seed. Do not do anything to anger her!"

"Yeah," she sneered at him.

Ichigo lightly nudged her head with his shoulder before addressing his father back to the main reason they were all sitting in the living room. "Old man, hurry up and finish what you were originally talking about."

"Ah!" he gasped in realization, "I can't believe I almost forgot." Isshin jumped over Yume and Yuze and landed directly in front of Rukia, who pulled away from Ichigo by surprise. "Rukia-chan," he cooed as he went on his knees and held her hands in his grip.

"Um, yes…Kurosaki-san?" Rukia gulped, already not liking where this was going. Even Ichigo sat up straight, ready to kick his father the moment he did anything funny.

"Have you decided on a name yet?"

They immediately calmed down at the uncharacteristic, serious question.

"No, not yet," Rukia smiled, "Do you have anything special in mind?"

"Why, excellent question!" Isshin suddenly jumped up and pulled out a scroll from his back pocket. Keeping hold of one end, he allowed the paper to roll down onto the ground and past the living room and into the kitchen as he scanned over the list. "This is a list of boy names passed down for generations in my family. It contains over ten thousands names, much shorter than the girls list which is twice as much. Masaki and I had to go through this entire list before she decided on using 'Ichigo' for our son. Why, I even lent it to Urahara when they had their kid."

While Rukia was gapping at the unrealistic length of the scroll, Ichigo scoffed beside her.. "You guys sure did pick a good name for me."

"Stop whining and listen." Isshin cleared his throat before taking a big breath to start. "First of, we have Aki. It means 'bright' and 'sparkle,' which would be good if he gets Ichigo's hair." The said man groaned again, obviously not liking that idea. "Then we have Akio, which means 'glorious.' I don't personally like it too much, but it was my grandfather's name. Then we have 'Aoi'—"

"My personal favorite!" Yuzu suddenly chimed in.

Isshin nodded. "She like the idea of using colors. Next is 'Botan,' not my favorite but it was my uncle's name. Now, there's 'Chikao,' which means clever. I like this but…"

"I don't like it," Karin added after her father.

"Why?" Ichigo asked.

She snorted as she crossed her arms in front of her and slumped into her seat. "Because a guy named Chikao once stole my soccer ball when I was seven."

The protective older brother suddenly sat up straight. "Who is this kid?"

But she rolled her eyes as she pushed him back down on the couch. "It was a long time ago so leave it." She then looked at her father, glaring at him to continue.

"Right," Isshin continued. "Now, there's—"

"This it taking too long!" Ichigo groaned. "Just read the damn list without adding in commentaries!"

"Yes, I believe that will help speed things along," Yume said in agreement.

Isshin immediately nodded. "Very well. Listen carefully because I'm going to go _really _fast." Taking in a huge breath, he started. "Chitose, Dai, Daichi, Daiki, Daisuke, Daitaro, Eiji, Fuyu, Fumio, Genji, Genkichi, Ginjiro, Goro, Hajime, Hama, Haru—" He went on and one, his voice getting louder and louder as he went. "HARUKU, HARUO, HIDEAKI, HIDEO, HIKARU, HIRO, HIROAKI, HIROSHI, HIROYUKI, HISAO, HISOKA, ICHIRO, ICHIROU, ISAMU—"

The girls all plugged their ears as the list continued. By now nobody was really listening to the names but cringing at the man's squealing voice.

No longer able to take it after the tenth vein appeared on his head, Ichigo screamed out loud over his father's booming, yet shrilling voice. "HOLD IIIIT!!

Complete silence.

Isshin and everyone else froze and looked over at the father-to-be whose head looked about ready to explode. He huffed as he glared at his father. "Even though the names so far were great, I don't want to hear any more of it. BUT—" he emphasized the last word to stop Isshin from cutting him in the middle of his speech, "—I think I already decided on a name."

"Really?" Rukia asked.

He smiled at her as he placed an arm around her shoulder. "Yeah, it just came to me when I heard the name 'Hideo.' Though it's a bit different in meaning but it triggered something in my mind."

"What is it?" she asked, eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"Takeshi."

This time her eyes widened even more with realization, along with her grandmother. "You mean…'Takeshi,' as in…after my grandfather?"

Ichigo nodded.

Her surprise quickly turned into one of great joy as she jumped—as much as she could—to wrap her arms around Ichigo's neck. "That's perfect! Thank you!"

Ichigo hugged her back. "I'm glad you liked it." He looked up to Yume still gapping at him which reminded him… "Yume-san," he called out, detaching himself from Rukia to address the elderly woman who was now out of her daze. "I hope this is fine with you. I want your blessing for this name before we use it."

"Yes," she answered breathlessly before a huge smile came across her lips. "Yes, that will be perfect! I'm sure my husband will be greatly honored!" She stood up from her seat and walked over to give Ichigo and Rukia a tight hug. "Thank you," she laughed.

"KYAAA!" Isshin cheered as he hugged the three in his embrace. "We finally have a name. TAKESHIIII!"

Karin just tried to ignore the hug-feast happening next to her, but the moment she saw her father's ass in her face, she kicked him away. "Keep that thing away from me!" Ichigo wanted to hug his sister in thanks when he heard the satisfying sound of his father hitting the wall and sliding down in an unconscious state. "Well, now that that's settled, let's go to bed."

"Yes!" Yuzu enthusiastically jumped up and grabbed her twin. "We have to get up early tomorrow so we're going up!"

"Goodnight," Karin waved as they went upstairs.

"I should go too," Yume said before bending to kiss Rukia's stomach. "Goodnight Takeshi." She gave them a sweet smile as she followed after the twins for a much needed sleep.

Ichigo smiled at the pleasant smile on the old woman as she left. He was glad he had picked out the name 'Takeshi,' and it gave him pride to know his son was getting such a great name. He looked down at the woman smiling at him before presenting his hand. "Wanna go?"

Rukia nodded as she gently placed her hand on top of his and allowed him to help her on her feet. The two turned off the lights and headed upstairs.

Nobody even bothered to check up on Isshin.

As they reached the top of the stairs, Ichigo just pulled her into his room and Rukia followed without questioning. She knew he wanted to privately talk so she walked across the room to sit on his bed, leaning against the headboard and using the pillows to help keep her propped up, as he closed and locked the door after them. "So, do you really like that name?" he asked as he came to sit down next to her.

She responded with a firm press of her lips against his. "It's perfect," she whispered.

"Good." He wrapped one of his arms around her shoulder and placed the other hand on her stomach. "Hey there Takeshi." It felt amazing as the name just rolled off his tongue like it was meant to be.

Rukia lightly flinched before chuckling softly. "Looks like he really likes that name. He's moving around like crazy."

At her words, Ichigo wrapped his arms around her waist as he leaned his head against her stomach, listening for any movement. "How much longer until I can feel the baby's kick?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I think Suzuki-sensei said you will have to wait three more weeks."

"Why that long?"

"I don't know. But I'd rather not feel it since that means his kicks are getting stronger and they'll start hurting."

Ichigo looked up at her with a worried look. "Can you do anything about it?"

She shook her head as her fingers ran through his bright hair. "It might hurt but I'm glad when he kicks around. I know he's alive and active in me."

He smiled as he sat up straight. "Thanks," he whispered as he leaned to kiss her lips.

"About what?" she smiled against him.

"For being the mother of my kid," he said as he started to place butterfly kisses across her lips and to her ear. "And for putting up with me."

"I should be given a gold medal for all you put me through," she sighed as his lips ventured lower.

"I can give you more than a gold medal." Ichigo didn't know where all this confidence was coming from but one thing was for sure: he wanted to show her just how much he liked the idea of having her swell with his child.

And Rukia didn't push him back.

A spark of desire shot throughout his body—especially down south—as his arms tightened around her waist to pull her up against him. Rukia moved her head to the side with a whimper as she gave him more access. Her entire body felt like it was on fire and she knew he was the only one would could extinguish it.

So she gave up her entire body to him.

Ichigo growled when he felt her hand coming up to pull on his hair. "Rukia," he muttered as he came back up for a deep kiss to which she quickly responded to.

Before they knew it, Rukia's back softly landed on his bed and—in the midst of their raging hormones—were frantically ripping their clothes off each other in hopes of finding some sort of release. Nothing else mattered at that point except each other.

---

"So," he tried to start but ended up clearing his throat instead. This wasn't something that occurred often—in fact, never, except that one time—so he was completely confused with how to address their current situation.

Rukia nodded, knowing what was running in his mind. "Yeah." This was something they did _not_ expect to happen.

Another round of silence surrounded them as they continued to stare at the dark ceiling above. Here they were, covered in nothing but their sweats—including each other's—and the bed sheets. The very passion that they've been trying to avoid since the day they moved in together was just addressed in the most intimate act between a man and a woman. The only thing that was lingering in the air was their breathing and heart beats that were just now starting to calm down.

"So…what does this make us?" Ichigo finally asked.

Rukia sighed as she closed her eyes. "No different from before we had sex: friends."

Ichigo suddenly turned to stare at her like she had grown another head. "Are you crazy? This is the second time we've slept together, and this time neither one of us was drunk!"

"But my hormones are getting out of whack so I have an excuse," she glared at him.

Her words took awhile before Ichigo started to comprehend it. He pushed himself up on his elbows and turned his head to face her. "What are you saying," he glared back, "That I'm the one who took advantage of you?"

"No," she smacked his arm, "You were just helping me get rid of some sexual tension that keeps building up in me."

Ichigo stared at her like she was crazy before settling back down on his back. "I feel used."

Rukia chuckled as she sat up, making sure to lift the covers with her to hide her nudity, even though their bodies were still touching each other under the covers. "Since my hormones are acting up, don't be surprised if this happens again soon. I'm not just looking for some sex for the pleasure part of it; I'm not a whore."

"Yeah I know," he groaned, scratching his head.

"Will you be fine with this."

"Yeah," he said again, "As long as it's only with me."

She grinned at him. "Not a problem. Besides, just sleeping together isn't going to change our relationship—what's wrong?" she asked when she noticed his frown.

Ichigo popped his upper body up on his elbow again, staring at her. "I don't like the idea of just having sex and acting like it's nothing when it isn't."

"Ichigo—"

"I also know—," he continued, ignoring the look she was giving to not go into the topic that they have been skidding around all this time. But today, he just couldn't stop. "—that you feel the same way too. I never said anything because I never had anything to base this off on, but now…well, now we have _this_," his eyes motioned to their current form on the bed.

Rukia stared at him for a while, noticing the sincerity in his eyes. Letting out a sigh, she leaned over against his shoulder as he sat up against his headboard. His arms automatically came around her shoulders to press her further into his embrace. "Ichigo. I don't want to lose what we have between us just because we slept together twice."

"I know," he quickly answered, "But I don't want our relationship to remain this stationary thing just because we're too afraid to move forward."

"Then what do you suggest?" she asked as she buried her head against him, her warm breath rolling over his chiseled chest.

Ignoring the sensation she was stirring in him, Ichigo asked, "Do you love me?"

Rukia visibly stiffened for a second before pulling back only her head to look up at him. "I…don't know."

He nodded. "I don't know either."

She raised a brow at him. "Then what are you trying to say?"

He shrugged his shoulders as he brought her head back down against him so he could place his chin on top of her head. "What I'm saying is that, at the moment our relationship isn't based on 'love.' But—"

"But it's still more than friendship," Rukia smiled, slowing figuring out what he was trying to say. "And since we're still unsure of what this 'more-than-friends-but-not-in-love' relationship is right now, we stick close to each other until we can find our ground." She looked up to see him smiling at her in agreement. "I like that plan."

"I do too," he said as he leaned down to capture her lips. She slightly giggled when his fingers lightly brushed over a ticklish part on her neck as he grabbed the back of her head to deepen the kiss. When he pulled away, he smirked at her breathless composure. "I hope you know, I don't think I'll ever want to go back to being merely 'friends.' I'm planning on moving our relationship forward until we become a real family," his placed a hand on her stomach, "Legal and everything."

A genuine smile came across her lips as she nodded. "I like that plan," she repeated, "Just as long as you keep your promise."

"I always do," he smirked.

She nodded before slipping out of his grasp to start searching for her clothes on the ground.

An orange brow arched upwards as he watched her put on her undergarments. "Where are you going?" he asked, obviously annoyed by the coldness that came over him when she left his side.

"Back to my room—hey!" she gasped when his arm came around her waist and pulled her down on his mattress. "Ichigo! What are you doing?"

"Just stay here," he said, burying his head into the crook of her shoulder, "It's already late and you might wake up the others if you leave now."

"And you don't care about how they might react if they see us sleeping in the same bed tomorrow morning?" she raised an eyebrow at him, although she was already starting to relax in his embrace. Stupid hormones.

Ichigo smirked against her skin. "It's not like it's our first time."

Rukia slapped his arm again. "Pig."

"Whatever." He slightly pulled away and looked into her eyes. "So?"

She stared back before sighing. Instead of struggling against his grip, she just turned her body so her back was against his chest. "Fine," she answered, "But if anyone asks, you have to answer them."

"Che, whatever," he scoffed as he started to get comfortable. After several seconds of silence, comfortable this time, Ichigo placed his hand on her swelling stomach under the covers and started to rub it up and down.

Rukia stared down at where she could see the outline his hand moving under the covers before reaching in to place her own on top of his. "What are you thinking?" she asked.

Ichigo smiled as he leaned over to kiss her temple. "About our little boy."

* * *

A/N: Like I said, I'm not writing any lemon in this fanfiction so you guys are going to have to use your imagination for what might have happened.

It shouldn't be too hard.

The pregnancy is well on its way. The first half of this chapter was hard to write since I've never been pregnant so I don't know what goes on in the examination room. I just did a little research online but there was so much stuff that I just decided to write about one a few of them. This scene was too hard to write so I don't think there's going to be any more hospital scene until Rukia gives birth.

And to anyone who might be bothered by how I displayed teen pregnancy, I just wanted to write this in a Japanese culture, where it is looked down upon by the older population. In fact, Japan has relatively low teen pregnancy rate. I have nothing against teenage parents (a few of my friends actually had kids while we were still in high school) and it was great to see them showing so much love for their baby…BUT I have personally witnessed some teens totally neglecting their unwanted babies. I'm just using this example, but just letting your guys know that I'm not arguing against teen pregnancy.

Also a few reviewers asked me why Rukia dropped out of school or why she's not trying online schooling. Well, for starters, I don't know if those are even available in Japan. I don't know their education system too much nor their tolerance for pregnant teen so I wanted to stay away from that just in case I was wrong. And in the sequel, I had written that Rukia stopped her studies after getting pregnant. So I really couldn't change too much after that.

Sidenote: *4.6 kg is around 10 lbs and 3 kg is around 6.61 lbs

Well, thanks for reading and don't forget to review!

Preview for next chapter:

Decorating the nursery

(I can't promise I will have this up by next week because I have finals, but I will try my best)


	9. Women Should Always Shop

**Author's Notes: HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!!!**

**I can't believe 2009 is almost over! So many good and bad happened this year, almost like a wild roller coaster ride. I'm going to be sad to let it go, but at the same time I am ready to embrace the new year with new resolutions, one of them being: Not being late with stories!**

**I am sorry for not uploading in time last week or even this week for that matter. With finals and the holidays taking up my time, I've been too busy. But thanks to all my faithful readers who continues to support me and my stories. I will definitely try and hold up to my resolution.**

**Not much happens in this chapter. Ichigo, Rukia and friends just buy stuff for the baby's arrival and a sudden confession shocks their friends. Just read and find out.**

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Bleach

* * *

Chapter 9: Women Should Always Shop with Their Man's Money

* * *

A yawn suddenly escaped Ichigo's mouth as he stared at the blackboard. Only five more minutes until school was over for the weekend…but those five minutes were taking forever!

"Okay guys, don't forget to continue solving the rest of the problems on that page," the teacher announced, "I'm going to give you guys a pop quiz so make sure you understand them."

A groan of disappointment arose from the class.

_Ding ding ding!_

_Yes!_ Ichigo cheered mentally as the teacher left and everyone rose to pack up their bags and leave. He joined them and quickly shoved his notes into his bag.

"Hey Ichigo."

He turned around to see Tatsuki and Orihime walking up to him. "What's up?"

"We were just wondering how Kuchiki-san's doing," Tatsuki said, "Takeshi is due in three more months."

At the mentioning about the birth, Ichigo's shoulders slumped and he sighed. "Yeah, and she's becoming even more of a bitch because of it."

"Hehe," Orihime giggled, "That's just her hormones so don't worry about it."

"Anyways, we were planning on going with you to see her. We promised to go shopping for baby supplies today," Tatsuki told him before smacking him upside the head.

"OW! What the fuck was that for?!" Ichigo glared at her.

"For not realizing how big of an issue this is!" she glared back. "The baby's due soon but you guys did nothing to prepare for him! Kuchiki-san told me how your father brought out your old baby crib but that's all! Do you have any idea how much clothes and supplies the baby's going to need once he's here?! And I heard that that crib isn't stable anymore so she might have to buy a new one!"

Ichigo caressed the bump on his head as he frowned. "No…I've been so busy with school that we haven't gone shopping yet."

"Well, that's why we're here!" Orihime smiled, "We're taking Kuchiki-san to the mall right now. Matsumoto-san, Madarame-san, and Yumichika-san are going to meet us back at your place after they finish up with detention. Wanna join us?"

Ichigo looked at the two girls before shaking his head. "I'm sure me and Rukia would only end up fighting when we get there. She's stressed out enough as it is."

Tatsuki shrugged her shoulders. "Suit yourself. Just don't blame us if she ends up buying the entire baby store today…not to mention all the Chappy related stuff she's been eyeing these days." She was about to walk away when a hand gripped her shoulder and stopped her. She looked over her shoulder with a smirk. "What?"

Ichigo glared at her before grabbing his packed bag and heading towards the door. "On second thought, I'm going with you guys."

"Che, you should have just said that from the beginning," she smirked.

"Ne, Uryuu! Want to join us?" Orihime asked her boyfriend.

Uryuu pushed up his glasses and smiled. "Sure, why not? It'd be nice to know what they buy so I know what kind of clothes I _shouldn't_ make for them."

"Hey, can I come too?" Renji suddenly appeared before them with a big grin.

Tatsuki raised an eyebrow. "This isn't a party."

"I know. I just want to see Ichigo's mortified face when Rukia buys all the stuff with _his_ money."

At the mentioning of that, Tatsuki started to laugh. "Haha! You're right. This is _so_ going to be worth it."

"Then Sado-kun should come too!" Orihime smiled.

The big man just nodded his head in understanding.

"Do you two want to come too?" Renji asked Hinamori and Hitsugaya.

The white head shook his head. "We have class duty today so we can't."

"Just tell us what you guys buy later," she smiled sweetly at them. "I don't want to buy anything they already have."

Renji saluted at her with a smile. "Roger."

"WILL YOU BASTARDS HURRY UP?!" Ichigo yelled at them.

The others quickly grabbed their stuff and followed the orange head as he led them out of the school and towards his house. He was hoping to drown out their annoying conversation but it was impossible not to listen to them rattling off about what they wanted to get _his_ kid.

"What do you think we need to buy?"

"Definitely a better baby crib. Ichigo's old one will only make the baby an idiot. Look at what happened to this guy."

"I want to buy a lot of clothes for the baby!"

"But I can make better ones."

"I'm going to buy him a big toy sword!"

"Rukia will kill you."

"Should we get Rukia something too?"

"Lingerie?"

"Shut up!" Ichigo shouted as soon as they got to the front porch.

"Geez, someone's PMSing," Renji snickered.

He glared at him as he grabbed the handle and held it. "You're going to regret that."

"Make me," Renji challenged.

But Ichigo just nodded as he swung open the door and shouted inside, "I'm home!" before quickly stepping off to the side.

"What the—"

"OKAERIIIII ICHIGOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!"

"AWWW!" Renji screamed when all of a sudden Isshin's tornado spin came directly at his face, connected with his face and send the two flying off into the fence.

"Ha, every time," Ichigo smirked as he quickly stepped into the house before either of his life's unnecessary people gain back their conscious.

"Okaeri!"

Ichigo looked up and smiled at seeing Rukia standing in front of him with her usual big smile. This image always brought a sense of warmth in his body. "Tadaima," he greeted back as he leaned down to lightly kiss her cheek. "How were things today? Did Takeshi bother you too much with his kicking again?" he asked as he placed a hand on her huge stomach to feel his son's hand reaching out almost as if to grab his hand. His eyes immediately soften at the thought.

Rukia shrugged her shoulders. "Not really. It was more your father who made this day crazy. He introduced me to all of his patients as his third-daughter who's carrying his son's child…again."

Ichigo groaned, "Great, another reason for this town to hate us."

"Kuchiki-san!"

Rukia looked up and smiled when she saw her friends entering the house. "Hi! Are you guys ready to go?"

"Yup!" Orihime nodded, "We just want to change into more comfortable clothes. Where's the bathroom?" she asked.

"Down the hall," she pointed. Orihime and Tatsuki quickly made their way inside to change.

"Where are the others?" Ichigo asked as he made his way to the stairs.

"In their room!" Rukia yelled back from the bottom of the stairs as Ichigo ascended it.

At that moment Karin and Yuzu poked their heads out from their room. "Okaeri!" they both greeted, although the only visible parts were their heads since the door was still mostly closed against them.

An orange brow went up. "What are you two doing?"

"Nooothing," Karin smirked.

"I'm not buying it," Ichigo glared, "What are you two doing in there?"

"Shh, oniichan!" Yuzu shushed him, "We need to keep this a secret!"

"Keep what a secret?"

"Great, now he's going to want to know!" Karin snapped at her sister who just slapped her own mouth.

"What is it?" Ichigo asked more sternly.

But Karin held her ground. "We're not telling. Just wait until it's done. So are you going to go with Rukia-nee? We shouldn't keep you up."

"Oh, don't think you can pull that shit on me, Kurosaki Karin," Ichigo glared at her as he reached to grab the door, "Open up and tell me what you two are hiding."

"No!" they both yelled as they grabbed the other end of the handle and pulled back.

"Karin! Yuzu!" Ichigo yelled as he tried pulling.

"I said 'no'!"

"Ara, what's going on here?"

The three quickly looked up to see Yume standing in the hall, staring at them. Seeing how this was their chance, Karin quickly released the door and Ichigo fell back from the rebound of the force. The twins and old lady started laughing when they saw him rubbing his bottom from pain.

"Ha ha ha, laugh at my misery," Ichigo glared, "I want you two to quickly tell me what's going on in there!"

"Now now, Ichigo-kun, don't these girls get some privacy?" Yume asked.

"When they're my sisters, no," Ichigo answered.

"That's not fair! It's not like we _wanted_ to become your sisters!" Karin glared.

"Well too bad but you are!"

"Enough!" Yume shouted over their loud voices while keeping her sweet composure, "I think you should get going now. Rukia is waiting for you, isn't she?"

"She can wait—"

"ICHIGO! HURRY UP!" Rukia yelled from downstairs.

The orange head, who was rudely interrupted, just dropped his head in defeat. "Fine," he sighed as he got up to go to his room and change. The remaining three snickered at his retreating form.

"This is the first time I've seen oniichan give up so easily," Yuzu confessed.

"Me too. It's all thanks to Rukia-nee," Karin said.

Yume nodded. "I think they're both doing each other good. And it's all thanks to that little baby."

---

"This is so cute! Ichigo!"

"NO!" he screamed for the nth time. "Rukia, we're having a _boy_! That means NO Chappy!"

"How can you deny my son this cute creature?!" Rukia shouted back.

Ichigo stepped closer and glared straight down at her like a giant. "First of all, he's _our _son, which means I have the right to say what he can and cannot get. SECOND!—" he shouted before Rukia could cut him, "—Chappy is NOT cute! It's an ugly thing that I don't want around _OUR_ son!"

Rukia gasped as she smacked him across the head with the big white bunny doll. "How dare you say that about Chappy?!"

"Fucking midget," Ichigo groaned.

"And stop cursing! I don't want 'fuck' to be _my_ son's first word," she glared.

Ichigo just glared back as they stood in a standstill, sparks of pure hatred sizzling between them as employees and other customers stared in complete horror.

"Seriously, they're embarrassing," Uryuu said as he continued walking towards the clothes section of the children's store.

"Maybe we shouldn't have invited Kurosaki-kun," Orihime said.

"No," Tatsuki dismissed the thought with the wave of her hand. "If we hadn't, then Rukia would have bought all those unnecessary Chappy stuff."

"I think she's trying to buy them for herself," Renji said as he snuck a small glance back only to see them still glaring at each other, waiting for the other person to give up first. "I hope their kid doesn't come out like either of them."

Uryuu scoffed. "Please. The spawn of those two will only be worse. I'm already planning on bringing Holy Water the day Kuchiki-san goes into labor."

"But I thought the hospital already cleans the baby. So why do you need to bring more water with you?" Orihime asked but her boyfriend just offered a smile as he grabbed her hand in case she decides to wander off on her own later.

"I think Ichigo won," Chad announced.

Everyone turned around and true enough Rukia was putting back the Chappy doll and making her way towards them with veins popping everywhere on her face.

"Um, you know, I don't think it's good for the baby to be so stressed," Orihime said.

Rukia, who was with them by now, snarled, "Tell _that_ to the citrus head! He's the one causing all of it!"

"Geez, just blame your problems on somebody else. How kind of you," Ichigo rolled his eyes.

Rukia turned to look at him. "That's because—OW!" she gasped, suddenly grabbing her stomach when a sharp pain ran across it.

"Rukia!" Ichigo was immediately next to her, holding her up, as he placed his hand over her stomach. "You okay? Does something hurt? Is it merely stomach pains again or does it feel like contractions? I heard first pregnancy can go into early labor. Should I call the doctor and tell her we're coming? Is it coming again? Do you feel—"

"Shut up before I permanently close it for you!" Rukia growled as she clutched onto him. The others were surrounding her, not daring to move in case it was something serious. Rukia took in several deep breaths until she felt good enough to release her death grip on his arm. "I'm fine now," she smiled as she stood up straight like nothing happened.

Ichigo shook his head. "No, you're not. You suddenly turned pale and almost collapsed from pain. Thatis not normal Rukia."

"It's fine, really," she smacked his arm. "Takeshi was just kicking really hard, that's all. It's common."

"But Rukia, remember what the doctor said about your body being so small that you could go into labor early—"

"Ichigo," Rukia placed a hand on his cheek and gave him a reassuring smile. "I'm okay. The baby's okay. I'm not going into labor."

But it still did nothing to reassure him. Ichigo placed a hand over hers on his cheek and said, "I'm worried."

"I know, but don't be," she said.

"But—"

She immediately shook her head to stop him again. "Call it 'mother's intuition' or something, but I just _know_ we're fine. Don't get your panties in a bunch."

Ichigo sighed as he pulled her in for a hug. "If you feel anything unusually, quickly tell me and I'll get us to the hospital," he kissed the top of her head.

Rukia smiled as she buried her nose into his chest. "I will."

"Well isn't this sweet?" Renji grunted, totally destroying the momentary peace between the two expecting-parents.

"You two are so cute together!" Orihime grinned, "I know the baby will be alright with parents like you two!"

Rukia pulled away to smile back. "Thanks."

"I still doubt you two and your sanity," Uryuu said, "I know Kuchiki-san's hormones are imbalanced so she should be jumping from one emotion to another, but why did you?" he looked at Ichigo who just glared at him.

"Father's share what the mother experiences," Chad said, "It's a form of connection."

"Not to mention Takeshi gave us quite a fright to stop his parents from their stupid fight," Tatsuki laughed, "I think I'm going to enjoy teaching the kid martial arts when he grows up. He can beat up _both_ Ichigo and his father."

"Bitch," Ichigo snarled as he stepped away from Rukia. "Anyways, I'm going to go buy these stuff—" he pointed to their carts of baby supplies, "—so can you guys take Rukia out of here and help her relax? I want her to sit down before the stress of standing up too long takes a toll on her."

"For once I agree with you," Rukia nodded as she allowed Orihime and Tatsuki to wrap their arms around her shoulders to support her out of the store and towards a bench in the middle of the mall.

"That sure was scary," Renji exhaled a deep breath as he grabbed the handle of one cart to push, "I don't know how I would have handled it."

Chad nodded as he grabbed the big box of the new do-it-yourself baby crib.

Ichigo just sighed as they neared the cashier with the other cart. "To be honest, I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I mean, it's still three months early."

"But you remained somewhat calm and asked the right questions," Uryuu said as he pushed up his glasses, "You asked about how close the pain seemed to be and even ready to call the doctor. I think it's safe to say you're ready for the birth."

Ichigo smiled as the thought of holding his son in his arms went through his mind. And the excitement only heightened as he placed each item on the counter.

The clothes Rukia and he would dress their son in. The monitor that would help keep an eye on him while he slept. The baby blanket he would be using every night to cuddle up in. The baby bottles that he will have to get used to once Rukia stops breastfeeding him. The teething rings he will come to love when the pain of teething becomes too unbearable. The pictures Ichigo would take and that Rukia would organize into a scrap book.

It was all that came with raising a baby.

Oh yeah, he was ready to be a father.

"This all comes up to be 120,000 yen!*"

Okay, never mind.

---

"I seriously don't know what this is," Renji scratched his head as he held up an odd shaped object.

Ichigo leaned over and frowned when he saw what Renji is holding. "Where did you get that?"

"From the box, dumbass."

Ichigo quickly smacked the back of his head. "I know, idiot. It was a rhetorical question."

"You two are both idiots," Uryuu rolled his eyes as he handed Chad a screwdriver. The strawberry and the pineapple quickly glared at him but he just ignored them.

"Kuchiki-san, why did you paint the room yellow? Wouldn't blue be better since you're having a boy?" Orihime asked.

Rukia shook her head as she placed a stack of baby clothes into the drawer. "Kurosaki-san wanted yellow to remind him of when Masaki-san had Ichigo. It's to brighten his personality."

"I don't think it's going to work. Look at the affect it had on _him_," Renji pointed at Ichigo.

"Agreed," Tatsuki nodded, "You should just paint it blue."

"We definitely don't want another 'Ichigo,'" Uryuu added.

"Arugh, can't you guys just shut the hell up!" Ichigo yelled at them. "What's so wrong about being like me—" he abruptly stopped when suddenly everyone in the baby room stared at him. He sighed in defeat. "Okay, I get it."

Rukia lightly laughed as she returned to her task. She then rummaged through one of the bags and lifted three different small wallpaper rolls she was planning on gluing to the bottom of the walls. "Hmm," she pouted as she held them up one by one against the wall. "I'm not sure which one to use."

Ichigo walked over and placed an arm around her shoulders. "What is this for?" he asked.

"I wanted to put some designs in the room," she told him as she held them out for him. "Obaachan saw them in one of my motherhood magazines and recommended me to put it in the room, something about it making the atmosphere more playful or something. So, which one?"

"What are we going to do with the other two once we pick one?" he asked her.

She smirked at him. "Return it of course."

"Of course," he sighed as he examined the three wallpapers. "This one is out," he immediately responded once he saw the Chappy rabbit smiling at him. He ignored Rukia's pout as he examined the other two. "I'm not sure what's different between these two."

Rukia rolled her eyes. "This one has ducks," she lifted one before lifting the other one, "While this one has _blue _ducks."

"Why blue?" Renji suddenly asked.

She shrugged. "At least it would contrast with the yellow walls." She then looked back at Ichigo and lightly jabbed his ribs. "Hurry up and just pick one. This is for _your_ son."

Ichigo scowled at her before randomly picking one. "That one," he pointed to the former.

"Okay, this one it is!" Rukia pointed the opposite paper that he picked.

"Oi!"

The others laughed out loud as Rukia opened the package to start plastering them onto the wall. Tatsuki came over with the glue all ready and they started to brush it on the back side of the wallpaper. "I can't wait to see this room all done."

"Me neither," Ichigo smiled at her, getting the same reaction back from her.

_Knock knock._

Everyone in the room looked up to see the twins standing by the door. "What's up?" Ichigo asked.

The two grinned as they looked at Rukia. "We have a present for you." Before anyone could ask, the two stepped aside to reveal something big behind them.

Upon seeing their present, Ichigo's eyes widened as he slowly stood up. "Where…where did you get that?"

"From otousan," Yuzu said, "He said you would really like it if we fixed it for you."

"Yeah, and this was what we were doing in our room for the past few hours," Karin told him, "We decided to redo the paint job and fix anything loose."

"And I added a new cushion for the seat!" Yuzu happily squealed.

Rukia stepped away from her task as she approached them. In front of her was a rocking chair that seemed old but newly fixed. There were some blotches of blue paint that wasn't fully dry yet, and white bunnies stamped all around the chair. A huge smile came across Rukia's lips as she hugged the twins to her. "Thank you so much! I've wanted one for so long!"

While Rukia went on and on about how thankful she was, Ichigo approached the chair and ran his fingers across the top of the chair. Fond memories swept through his mind. He remembered his mother sitting on this exact chair with him on her laps, as they rocked back and forth reading all kinds of stories. Then there was the time she would sit on the chair with the twins in each arm, singing them a lullaby while Ichigo watched in fascination from the side. He remained dazed, staring at the image of his mother sitting there while smiling that bright smile of hers.

"Ichigo?"

"Huh?" Ichigo was suddenly shaken out of his daze when a pair of arms wrapped around his waist from behind. He looked down to see Rukia looking up at him by his arm.

She smiled as their eyes met. "You okay?"

He continued staring at her before smiling back. He took her arms off of him and brought her forward to hug her from the side. "Yeah, I am." He then looked up at his two sisters and said, "Thanks for doing this you guys. I'm sure 'kachan would have liked it."

The twins grinned in their brother's complement.

"Aw! This is so cute!" Matsumoto squealed. "Hurry up and help them bring it in!" she ordered the guys. She grabbed the back of the heads of Ikkaku and Yumichika, pushing them forward to do the job.

"Bitch," they both cursed under their breath as they walked up to the chair and carried it into the room.

"Now this place is looking more like a nursery," Tatsuki remarked as she looked around. While Rukia and Ichigo were busy with the sudden present, the others continued working on the room. The yellow walls were now designed with the wallpapers of blue ducks and the crib was almost done.

"Only three more months," Orihime giggled as she stepped up to rub Rukia's swollen stomach.

"I can't wait to see these two lovebirds try and handle a baby," Uryuu smirked.

"We should tape it and send it in to that 'funny-video-show' thing," Renji laughed.

"And I bet it won't be long before these two have another kid," Ikkaku added, "Especially with Ichigo's raging hormones."

"Oi!" the said man shouted over all the snickers, "Stop talking shit about us. And we're not 'lovebirds,'" he glared at Uryuu.

"You could have fooled me with all the sex you two have," Matsumoto said.

"Eugh," Karin stuck out her tongue in disgust as she grabbed oblivious-Yuzu's hand. "We're getting out of here. I don't want to hear any of your disgusting teenage/hormone topics."

As they walked out, Matsumoto shouted after them, "In time you two will find out how fun this topic really is!"

"Shut up Matsumoto," Ichigo groaned, not wanting to think about his little sisters talking about sex.

"Geez, someone's moody," she pouted before gasping in realization. She crawled over to Ichigo with an amused look. "Has Kuchiki-san been leaving you hanging these days?"

Ichigo's face immediately reddened. "Wha-no! She hasn't—I mean, she and I—um, that's not what we—"

"Aw, somebody's blushing?" she teased as she looked over to see Rukia blushing as well. "So then, how often do you guys do _it_?"

"Matsumoto!" the two screamed together.

Renji grabbed his stomach in amusement at their mortified expression. "The way you two are acting, it almost seems like it's true!"

"It would be fucking funny if they're really having sex," Ikkaku joined him, "Then again, they already slept together once so what's there to stop them."

"Exactly," Matsumoto nodded. "And I bet they're in love but won't admit it! If we continue this, I'm sure they'll crack sooner or later!"

"This is stupid," Tatsuki rolled her eyes as she started to help Chad and Uryuu finish up the crib. But when she looked up, she noticed everyone else was crowding around the two soon-to-be-parents, following Matsumoto's argument as they continued their joke.

"So, who's the dominate one?"

"Where do you guys do it? In Ichigo's room or the bathroom?"

"Yeah. You wouldn't want anyone to find out."

"Is that good for the baby?"

"When was the last time you guys did it?"

"Where did—"

"ENOUGH!" Ichigo shouted over the noise. He glared at everyone as he gathered them by the door and started to push them out. "Out! NOW!"

"Eh!?"

"LEAVE!" he ordered.

But not ones to give up so quickly, the others started to push back against him. "Not until you answer us!"

Ichigo growled. "FINE!" he shouted, still pushing against them. "YES, we have sex often. I prefer to be more dominate. We do it in my room so nobody knows. Sex doesn't hurt the baby as long as it's not too intense. And the last time we had sex was last night. NOW GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!" he yelled one last time. And the others were too shocked by his confession that they lost all their strength and were easily pushed out. Once they were out of the doorway, Ichigo slammed the door at their shocked face, his chest heaving up and down from his anger.

"Dumbass."

He turned around to see Rukia glaring at him with her arms crossed above her stomach. "What?"

She rolled her eyes as she went over to where Tatsuki, Chad and Uryuu were staring at him with wide eyes, their faces reddening by the second.

It finally caught on to him what just happened. "I—oh, shit."

After a moment of utter shock, Uryuu finally cleared his throat. "Well that was…" he didn't know how to finish his sentence.

"Unexpected," Chad finished for him.

"Yes, thank you," he nodded at the giant. He looked back at Ichigo who was rubbing his face in irritation. "Although, not _completely_ unexpected."

"Huh?" Rukia raised a brow.

Tatsuki also cleared her throat as she went back to screwing in the last screw. "Well, we kind of guessed you two were…you know."

Ichigo sighed as he leaned against the wall. "But this doesn't mean anything so don't make a big deal out of it."

The three friends stilled before looking up at him. "What?" they asked simultaneously.

"What he means is that we're not in a 'love' relationship," Rukia added.

But it only furthered their confusion. "Hold on," Tatsuki snorted in disbelief, "What are you two talking about? That you're sex buddies?"

"You're making it sound like we whore ourselves around or something," Ichigo said. "But yeah, we're kinda like 'sex-buddies,' except it's only for now."

Rukia nodded at his comment. "With my hormones going up and down like crazy, I needed to relieve my sexual frustration somehow, and who else better than with the father of the baby? According to our doctor, this is a safe practice and it helps distracting me from the stress of being pregnant."

Uryuu gawked at them. "That still doesn't justify it."

"Yeah," Tatsuki stepped in, "I mean, I understand the hormones thing, but having sex? That's gotta be hard if you're not in love. I mean, is there absolutely none of that between you two?"

The two looked at each other both shrugging. "Not really," Ichigo said.

Somehow his words just sounded worse then he meant. "Fucking prick!" Tatsuki yelled as she lunged towards him. Ichigo didn't even have time to react before her fist collided against his cheek. The others didn't know how to respond so they did the only thing they could think of: Chad and Uryuu tried to hold Tatsuki back while Rukia went up to help Ichigo.

"Tatsuki!" he shouted at her, "What the fuck—"

She cut him off by grabbing the front of his shirt and bringing him up to her face. "For taking advantage of my friend! What is wrong with you?! Don't just use her excuse to fuck her when you're not going to take responsibility! Having sex is something very special to a girl and the sensible ones like Kuchiki don't just allow fuckers like you to sleep with her for no reason!"

"I know that!" he growled at her. "I'm not just fucking her for a good time, so lay off it!"

"How can I when I know you're going to do it again!"

"WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE THAT OUT!" Rukia shouted over their screams, freezing them in their spots. When Tatsuki lowered the fist she was just about to send flying again, she looked over to see the petite woman looking at her. "We're trying to figure that out," she repeated, more softly this time.

Tatsuki frowned at her. "What?"

Ichigo shoved her hand to get rid of her grip on his shirt. "What she means is that we're still trying to figure out our relationship. At the moment we're not exactly _in_ love—"

"But we know we do care about each other," Rukia continued, "Our feelings for each other are much deeper than that of friendship but not exactly love. We're hoping, after the baby's born, to sort this out."

Tatsuki quirked an eyebrow. "Wait, so…there's a chance?"

Rukia frowned. "Yeah…maybe."

"Oh, well that makes everything better," she threw her arms up in annoyance.

Ichigo sighed. "Look, I know this might not make sense, but this is really important to us," he said as he wrapped an arm around Rukia's shoulders. "At least it allows us to be more intimate so we can take our relationship a step further."

"And hopefully make things work," she added.

Tatsuki just looked back and forth between the two before sighing in defeat. She rubbed the bridge between her eyes, trying to keep her temper down. "If you two are sure you know what you're doing—"

"We do."

Uryuu pushed up his glasses. "Just don't get hurt because of this. We'd hate to see you two separate if things don't work out."

Ichigo nodded in understanding. "Don't worry. We're not planning on going anywhere but forward."

"Mmph," Chad grunted in agreement.

Not really convinced but not willing to argue any further, Tatsuki went over to grab her bag by the door. "Well, I think we should get going then. We'll see you guys tomorrow to help with the rest of the stuff."

Rukia smiled in thank as she went to open the door. When it swung open, none of them were surprised to see the other five stumbling into the room, obviously trying to eavesdrop into their conversation.

"Ow," they grumbled at the sudden impact on the floor and each other.

"Ahem."

The five stopped their groaning to look up to see Rukia glaring at them, her tiny foot tapping against the floor.

"I told you we should have just left," Renji muttered.

"But then we wouldn't have heard anything," Matsumoto grumbled back as they all tried to scramble up. "Um, so are we ready to go?" she asked Tatsuki, trying to ignore the pregnant woman in front of them.

Uryuu shook his head as he stepped forward. "Com'on, let's go," he said as he grabbed Orihime's hand and led her out.

"Um, but…o-okay," she pouted as she reluctantly left.

"Well, that's our cue to go too!" Ikkaku quickly ran after them, followed by the other three.

The remaining occupants in the room just rolled their eyes. "Anyways, see ya," Tatsuki said as she left.

Chad patted Ichigo on the shoulder as he followed after her.

"Yeah, see ya," Ichigo said after them. They two remained quiet until they heard the distinctive sound of their friends leaving, the front door opening and closing after them.

Rukia let out a breath of relief. "Well that went horribly."

"Yeah," he scratched the back of his head, "I didn't want them to find out _that _much about us."

"It's your fault they found out."

"Stop rubbing it in. I already feel like shit for saying all that," Ichigo glared as he rubbed the cheek Tatsuki had punched. "Fucking bitch still carries a hard punch even after all these years.

Upon hearing him, Rukia walked over to him and placed a hand against the red cheek. "Does it hurt?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Nah, she didn't punch me that hard. It's not going to bruise."

"Well she should have," she smirked, "After all you took advantage of a pregnant woman."

"Oi!"

Rukia laughed out loud as she walked over to the giant pile of shopping bags while Ichigo went to position the crib against the wall. She started opening each one of them, taking out some stuff before coming across something she hadn't seen before. "What's this?"

Ichigo turned around and grinned when he saw the surprised look on Rukia's face as she discovered a big Chappy doll from one of the big bags. She immediately pulled it out and squealed as she hugged it. "You like it?" Ichigo asked.

She looked at him with her big eyes and grinned. "Of course I do! I love it! But when did you buy it?"

Ichigo moved to sit next to her as he said, "When you were outside with the girls and I was paying for these supplies, I quickly grabbed it and bought it."

Rukia laughed as she continued hugging the doll. She poked its nose with her own and her face brightened tremendously. "Thank you Ichigo!"

"No problem, midget," Ichigo smirked as he ruffled her hair. "Just don't scare me like that again."

Rukia looked up at him and nodded. "I promise," she said before leaning up to press her lips against his. He immediately welcomed the kiss as his arm wrapped around her waist and allowed his fingers to play around her stomach as it felt the movements of their living child inside it.

Rukia pulled back and grinned. "Now I have enough plush to fill up the new baby crib with Chappy."

Ichigo's face immediately paled.

* * *

A/N:...... This chapter is kind of like a filler. I'm almost done with the next chapter but I needed something in between so I don't jump around in time too much. Only a few months have passed since the previous chapter, and next chapter the three months will have also passed, making it time for the birth of Takeshi (I am so excited)

I know it was awkward reading about Ichigo and Rukia's confession about their sexual relationship; believe me, it was a bit weird for me when I was writing it. But I have written in the sequel and I have mentioned it to some people who have PM'd me that these two were sexually active and their friends and family all knew about it. I had to add this confession somewhere to show that I'm still trying to make sure both stories and all my side notes relate to one another perfectly. So random information/plotlines will appear and won't make much sense (in matters as to why I have decided to write something in that specific moment) until you go to the sequel.

Hopefully that clears up any misunderstandings from this chapter, the previous chapters, and chapters to come.

Thanks for reading and please review!!!

*(A/N: equivalent to around $1,200. Yikes!)

Preview for next chapter:

Birth of Kurosaki Takeshi


	10. The Birth

**Author's Note: HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!! I can't believe a year already passed. There were so many happy and sad moments, and I can only hope this new year will be filled with joy.**

**Here's the chapter you've all been waiting for! TAKESHI IS FINALLY HERE!!!!!!**

**I was grinning like crazy as I wrote this. I can't believe I finally reached this chapter. And I can't wait to write more about this baby. It's going to be exciting to see how Ichigo and Rukia are as they try and take care of a baby at their young age. And also I will now be putting in more development into the story that leads up to a lot of stuff in the sequel.**

**By the way, thanks for all the reviews! I was happy to see so many people are still reading and enjoying my story(s). Please continue to read and review to support me, and in return I will do more to write better quality stories. Thanks everyone!**

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Bleach

* * *

Chapter 10: The Birth

* * *

Ichigo sighed as he tightened his arms around his bedmate as sleep slowly started to leave him. Rukia, who had her back pressed against his chest, leaned closer to his warmth allowing him to bury his nose into her hair.

It became a habit of his to inhale her scent whenever he could because it brought a sense of calm into him. Ever since Rukia hit her eight months she had been getting crankier about the littlest things, which included her bed that she still practically shared with her grandmother. She immediately went to his room and upfront told everyone she was going to sleep with him because it was more comfortable.

And no one, not even Ichigo, objected to her.

Who would when she was biting everyone's head off because of her discomfort?

Thankfully, ever since they started sharing the bed—and getting suggestive winks from everyone around them—Rukia had been feel more relaxed and less of a bitch. And Ichigo was happy to know he was one of the causes for it. Although they stopped having sex because of the discomfort, by sharing the bed it helped bring them closer in some intimate form.

"Mhmm," Rukia groaned as she was suddenly pulled away from her sleep. "Ichigo?"

"…yeah?" he answered with his voice slightly muffled by her hair.

Rukia lifted her head to peer back at him before dropping her head back on the pillow. "It's time for you to get up."

But Ichigo just snuggled closer to her.

"Ichigo," she grunted, "Don't make me kick you off the bed."

"This is _my_ bed," Ichigo growled at her, "You should be the one getting kicked off."

"But it's too comfortable for the likes of you," she retorted. "Besides, how can you deny me when I'm nine months pregnant now?"

Ichigo's eyebrows jumped up at the mentioning of the baby. A small smile graced his face as his hand came down to rub her huge stomach, a habit of his ever since he first felt the bump on her stomach.

Rukia smiled as she placed her hand over his. "We're almost there."

"Yeah," he whispered as he leaned forward to kiss her temple. His lips pressed butterfly kisses all the way down to her neck, earning him soft giggles from the woman next to him. "You're quite ticklish today," he joked as he nipped at her neck.

Rukia sighed as she leaned to give him more access. "That's because you're being extra gentle today," she commented as she turned her head to receive his kiss against her lips. They both smiled through the kiss as it started to deepen. She moaned at his sweet touches before forcing her eyes to open and look to the side. "Ithigo," she mumbled against him.

"Mhmm," he merely sighed.

"Ithigo," she tried again, "School."

"Later," he muttered as he started to kiss down her neck.

Rukia sighed in contentment, focusing on his expert tongue as it washed away the uncomfortable feelings during the last month of the pregnancy. "Ichigo," she breathed.

The orange head sighed, his warm breath waking up goosebumps as he pulled away. "Alright I'll leave," he groaned in defeat.

She chuckled at his expression. "Thank you."

He jokingly glared at her as he got out of bed. Grabbing his school uniform, he made his way to the bathroom as Rukia went back to sleep. As the warm water poured over his head, Ichigo sighed as his muscles relaxed. And that was how his mind started to wander off again.

Every morning after Ichigo started to wake up to the pleasant sight of Rukia curled up next to him, wearing one of his oversized shirts, made his heart beat faster. There was a sense of pride at seeing her like that, and it grew whenever he felt their child punching and kicking against the womb. It only heightened his desire to hold his child as soon as possible.

The days were counting down, and everyone was nervous. The nursery between their rooms was all ready for the arrival of the baby, thanks to the help of their friends. And everyone kept their phone on during school just in case his phone dies and Rukia needed to reach him.

Isshin has been bouncing off the walls in excitement while the twins were trying to calm him down. The only one acting calm around the house was Yume, who would only laugh behind her hand at the constant craziness. Ichigo only trusted her to help Rukia if she suddenly went into labor. Since they live only in a neighborhood clinic, they didn't have the equipments needed to deliver a baby. So they would have to go to Karakura Hospital as soon as possible. And Isshin couldn't be trusted behind the wheel when that day comes.

Turning off the showerhead, Ichigo stepped out of the shower and dried himself before putting on his uniform. Just as he stepped outside, he looked up to see the older woman smiling at him. "Ah, ohayo gozaimasu."

"Ohayo," she greeted back, "All ready for school?"

"Yup," he smiled as he made his way back to his room. "Do you want me to wake up Rukia?"

She shook her head. "Let the poor child rest. She will be miserable later on so it's best to leave her alone. I just wanted to know how you're doing."

"Okay, I guess," he shrugged his shoulders. "I just can't wait for the baby."

"None of us can," she smiled him as she made her way downstairs.

With a big smile, he returned to his room, making sure to close the door quietly behind him. Tossing his other clothes and used towel on his chair, Ichigo grabbed his bag and started checking to make sure he had all of his books.

"Mhmm, Ichigo?"

He looked over to see Rukia rubbing her eyes as she lifted as much of her upper body as possible. He smiled at her cute look as he went over to sit on the bed next to her. "Sorry, did I wake you again?"

"Mmph," she grunted as she dropped back down.

Ichigo leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Sorry."

"It's okay," she sighed as she tried rolling onto her back, only to roll back to her side, her back now to him, when an uncomfortable feeling ran across her chest. "I'm really sick of this."

"Only a little more," he said as he placed his chin on her shoulder.

Rukia was about to reply back when a sudden feeling ran across her stomach this time. "Umph!" she bit her lower lip to stop herself from shrieking.

Ichigo sat up and looked over her in worry. "Rukia?"

"I'm okay," she grunted as she started taking in deep breaths, "It's coming and going more frequently now."

He frowned as he leaned over to peer at her face properly. "The contractions will get worse as time goes on. I guess the baby might be here sooner than expected."

Once the pain subsided, Rukia let out a sigh of relief. "It's gone now," she whispered.

He lifted his hand and swept it across her wet brow. "You want me to get Yume-san or someone else to stay with you?"

She shook her head as she turned her head to look at him. "I'll be fine after some sleep. Just go before you're late."

Ichigo frowned but didn't say anything knowing she would only argue against him. So he bent down to kiss her one more time. "Call me if something happens." When she nodded, he weakly smiled at her. "Get some more sleep." Again she nodded as she turned her head to face the wall again. With one last look, Ichigo pushed himself off the bed and made his way out of his room. As he arrived downstairs, he smiled as his family greeted him.

"Ohayo, oniichan!" Yuzu grinned brightly like she always does.

"Ohayo," he greeted back as he sat across from Karin. "So what's for breakfast?"

Karin grunted. "Just simple toast and jam. The smallest stench makes Rukia-neesan sick so she decided to keep things simple."

Ichigo glared at the plain food in front of him as if it was his enemy. "Well, Rukia is asleep now so let's get some real food."

"No," Yuzu cutely scolded him, "I want Rukia-neesan to be as comfortable as possible, asleep or awake. And you can't argue."

The older brother groaned as he spread the jam on his toast. "Well then, I'm only going to take this and go; I have a lot to do. Also, I think Rukia is starting to feel contractions. Check up on her every once in awhile, okay?"

"Roger," Karin lazily saluted at him.

"And make sure the old man stays away from her," he reminded.

"Don't worry!" Yuzu smiled, "I already locked the door to the clinic so he can't come in."

Ichigo nodded as if to say 'good job' before heading out. "See ya."

"Have fun at school!" she waved after him.

And once the door closed, Karin ran forward to turn the locks just in time to hear her father struggling to open the door from the outside. "Che, I almost forgot."

"_NOOOOO!_" Isshin cried.

Ichigo, who had thankfully been spared of his father's crazy antics, quickly ran away before the old man could change his mind about getting inside the house and come after him instead. Only when he was a couple of blocks away did he slow down to a walk. "Fucking old man," he huffed as he tried to catch his breath, "Popped out of nowhere."

"Talking to yourself?"

Ichigo looked up to see Hitsugaya staring at him with his bored look, completely different from Hinamori who was standing next to him with a bright smile. "What do you want, Toshiro?" Ichigo grunted.

The young genius glared. He never liked being called by his name. "We were just on our way to school when you popped out of nowhere."

"Were you running away from your father again?" Hinamori asked as the three started their walk to school.

"Yeah, he's been getting crazier now that the baby is almost due."

She giggled at the thought. "I can't wait to see Takeshi-kun."

"How's Kuchiki taking the last month?" Hitusgaya asked.

Ichigo shrugged his shoulder. "She keeps complaining about feeling uncomfortable. And she keeps waking up in the middle of the night because she can't find a good position without bothering the baby."

"Does he kick really hard?" Hinamori asked as she lightly pouted as if to remember something. "I remember reading somewhere that when babies kick it hurts a lot."

"Apparently it gets worse by the month," Hitsugaya informed her, "And most often their kicking wakes the mothers so it's almost impossible to calm them down. In the end they suffer a lot from it."

"And become scary bitches," Ichigo grunted, remembering the one night when the baby was kicking so hard that Rukia actually ripped up one of her Chappy plushes in pure frustration.

When Hinamori noticed his expression, she smiled as she made him an offer. "How about I come over after school and take her to a spa?"

Ichigo shook his head. "That sounds really nice but she doesn't want to get out of the house. She's afraid of going into labor when I'm not around."

"Has she started contractions yet?" Hitsugaya asked.

The orange head nodded. "Really late last night. I kind of freaked out and thought she was going into labor until Yume-san came in and reassured me it was still too far apart."

"That means the baby is going to be here soon!" she squealed.

Again Ichigo nodded with a smile.

---

Ichigo felt like he was about to lose his mind. Every few minutes he would check his phone to see if Rukia called him. And during breaks he would quickly call home only to get scolded by Karin for using up her minutes. Still, he was grateful that his sisters decided to skip school that day to take care of Rukia, who seemed exhausted.

"Anything?

Ichigo shook his head.

Tatsuki sighed as she leaned against the window next to him. "You're starting to get me all worked up with all these phone calls."

He snorted as he flipped his phone close after the fourth call he made that day. "Now that Rukia started contracting, I'm close to falling apart. And it's not helping that I can't get rid of her pain-stricken face from my head."

"Calm down," she slapped him on the back, "You're acting like _you're_ going into labor. And don't forget there are three people there to help her if anything happens."

"I know but still—"

"This is your first kid so of course you're worried," she continued, "But don't start freaking out. It's going to affect Rukia when she sees you."

Ichigo nodded as he took in a deep breath. "Right."

"Good."

"Anything?"

The two looked up to see Renji walking up to them. Ichigo shook his head, the same answer he gave Tatsuki when she first asked the same question.

"Man, this is nerve-wrecking," Renji sighed as he stood before them. "I keep checking my phone too."

"We're all a little tense right now," Tatsuki said as she looked around the room. And sure enough their group of friends was all checking on their phones before looking up at Ichigo to shake their head.

"I hope that baby comes soon so he can give all of us a peace of mind," Renji grunted.

"Hear hear," she agreed.

"How's Rukia putting up with everything?" Renji asked.

Ichigo immediately cringed. "Bad."

"Sucks," he mumbled. "I'm sure she hates having slept with you now—OW! What?" he glared when Tatsuki suddenly punched his arm.

"Dumbass, don't say shit like that," she scolded, nodding her head at the distraught looking Ichigo.

"Oh, right…Dude, you know I was only joking right?" Renji tried to laugh but it came out weakly.

The orange head stared at the red head in complete annoyance. "Shut it before I do it for you."

"Got it." He made a motion with his hand as if zipping his lips close before walking away.

Tatsuki rolled her eyes after him before returning to her conversation with Ichigo. "I know you're going crazy with the baby almost due, but calm down. It's not going to speed this up."

"I know that, but it's not easy."

"Well, try," she told him before walking back to her seat.

Ichigo groaned as he pulled himself away from the cool window to return to his seat as well. He, out of all the people, wanted the baby born _now_. He was tired of checking his phone constantly, hearing Rukia groan in pain, and the lack of sleep since she kept moving around during the middle of the night. Not to mention he hated seeing her in so much pain and discomfort.

"Only a little longer," Chad, who had came over to pat his friend on the shoulder, quietly said, "Calm down. We're here for you if anything happens."

Ichigo nodded up at him. "I know. Thanks for the reassurance."

The giant also nodded back before returning to his seat. Ichigo noticed he was slightly sweating from nervousness. It seemed everyone was being affect by the baby even though they were trying to act strong in front of him.

It only did worse against his nerves.

_Ding ding ding!_

The others flinched when the bell suddenly rang. Orihime and Tatsuki couldn't help but check their phones, mistaking the bell for a call.

The teacher entered the room and looked around once before landing on the two. "Let's start class. So please put away your phones," he said.

"Hai," the two girls quickly shoved their phones into their desks and watched as the teacher opened his book.

Ichigo groaned as his teacher started his lesson. What he wouldn't give to get out of class and go to Rukia—

_Ring ring ring!_

"Kurosaki! Is that your phone?!" the teacher yelled.

"Sorry," the orange head quickly apologized while reaching for his phone in his bag.

"Sensei, you shouldn't be so harsh on him," Keigo grinned, "He has to keep his phone on in case Kuchiki-san goes into labor…" his words died off as those words registered into his own head. "ICHIGO!" he threw himself at his friend and started to cry, "Why did you take the beautiful Kuchiki-san away from me?!"

"Let go!" Ichigo quickly kicked his 'friend' away and flipped open his phone to read the text message that arrived.

It was from Karin. And she only wrote two words. But they were enough to make his entire face pale as white.

'_It's time.'_

"WHAT THE FUCK!" he shot up from his seat and quickly grabbed his bag.

"Where do you think you're going Kurosaki?!" his teacher yelled at him.

"IT'S TIME!" was all he said before he quickly ran off.

The entire class was silent before his words sunk in. "IT'S TIME?!" they all screamed together. Chad, Uryuu, Orihime, Tatsuki and Renji quickly grabbed their bags and ran after the orange head.

"HEY! WHERE ARE YOU FIVE GOING?!" the teacher shouted. But when he noticed Keigo trying to sneak his way to join them, he grabbed the back of his collar and yanked him back. "Oh no, you're not going anywhere!"

Keigo's cries were the last thing they heard before they quickly left school.

---

Ichigo huffed as his chest rose and fell in rapid speed as he looked around the hospital. Knowing where to go, he quickly ran up the stairs—elevators took way too long—and made it up to the second floor. He ran for awhile before skidding to a halt.

"Where's Rukia?" he asked when his family—plus Yume—came into view.

"Oniichan!" Yuzu gasped, "You all sweaty."

"That's not important," he huffed, "Where's Rukia?" he asked again.

"Inside," Karin pointed to a room.

Not giving a damn he was being rude for not thanking her, he quickly opened the door and entered. The moment the door closed behind him, his friends arrived and joined his family—plus Yume—in the waiting room.

"Rukia?" Ichigo whispered.

The said woman turned to see him taking small steps closer to her. She tried her best to smile. "Ichigo, you sure got here fast."

Hearing her exhausted voice, Ichigo finally rushed over and held her hand. "How are you holding up?" he asked as he wiped her sweaty hair back.

Rukia sighed. "I'm exhausted. The doctor said we might be ready to push in five more hours or so."

Ichigo nodded as he kissed her hand. "How're you dealing with the contractions?" he joked, trying to lightened the mood.

A snort came from her as she tried to wiggle her painful body into a more comfortable position. "I'm going to kill you later," she threatened.

Ichigo chuckled but a frown quickly appeared when her face contorted in pain and grasped his hand tightly. "Rukia?"

"Umph!" she bit her lower lips, "It's getting more painful!" she grunted.

Concerned, he didn't say anything when she started gripping his hand in a death grip. A few seconds later, she finally relaxed and slumped back on the bed. "Rukia," he wiped the sweat off her brow again.

She only responded with a small smile, keeping her eyes closed as she tried to control her breathing. "Don't worry so much," she said, "It's all worth it."

"Is it?" he asked without thinking.

Rukia opened her eyes as she continued smiling at him. "Of course it is. I wouldn't give up this baby for anything in the world," she told him before a frown appeared on her face. "Why? Do you regret this?"

Ichigo looked deep into her eyes before leaning forward to place a light kiss on her lips. "Of course not. I should be considered lucky to have you as the mother of my child."

A weak chuckle came from her as she closed her eyes again.

For the next five hours the two stayed still while contractions came and went, along with the nurses and doctor to check on her progress.

Soon, it was time.

"Okay, looks like we're just about ready to start pushing," the doctor settled herself in front of Rukia and smiled sweetly at her. "You ready to become a mother?"

Rukia took in a deep breath before nodding.

Ichigo just kissed her hand that was in his tight grip as they got everything ready.

"Okay," the doctor said after taking another look between Rukia's legs, "Start pushing, Rukia-san!"

Minutes went by and Rukia grunted in pain as she continued pushing. Her body was going numb from the pain that felt like it was splitting her body apart. Her screams echoed throughout the room and had a vice-like grip on Ichigo's hand.

But the pain was all worth it.

In a few minutes she was going to be a mother.

"I need you to keep pushing, Rukia-san!" the doctor cried out.

Rukia took in another deep breath as she strained her body to push with all her might, her hand tightening its grip around Ichigo's fingers. But the orange head was too observed in comforting Rukia that he ignored the bone-crushing pain.

He wiped away her sweats, kissed her hand and her forehead while whispering words of encouragement into her ears. If he couldn't share the pain, the least he could was comfort the woman who was giving birth to his baby.

In a few seconds he was going to be father.

"The baby's crowning! Keep pushing!"

Rukia gasped in pain as she pushed.

"Here's the shoulders! Just one more big push Kuchiki-san!"

Rukia gritted her teeth as she gave one last push and then—

"_WAH! WAAHH!"_

—the most beautiful sound in the world entered the room.

Ichigo and Rukia both looked up and saw the small body of their baby being lifted up into the air for them to see from between her legs.

"Congratulations! It's a boy!" the doctor announced.

A big smile tugged at Ichigo's lips. He was a father… He now had a son. Ichigo turned back to Rukia only to see her lightly smiling as she fell back on her bed, breathing heavily out of exhaustion.

Ichigo cut the umbilical cord, and waited for the nurses to clean up his son and check his health, while the doctor focused on cleaning up Rukia after she had pushed out the placenta. Soon, when everything was said and done, Rukia was handed her son. The nurses and doctor walked out, leaving the new parents alone.

"He's beautiful," Rukia whispered, leaning down to lightly place a kiss on her son's forehead.

"Yeah, he really is," he whispered as he carefully brush the small bit of hair on his son's head with only the tip of one finger.

"You want to hold him?" she asked.

Ichigo looked down into her eyes before nodding. "I guess I'm going to have to sooner or later, right?"

She smiled. "You're not going to drop him. Just don't forget to support his head."

"Che, such a natural mother," he smirked as he carefully placed his arms under Rukia's. Once she felt Ichigo had a secure hold, she carefully pulled out her arms placing their newborn baby in his arms.

Rukia felt her chest fill with warmth and contentment as she watched Ichigo gently rocked their son, making small cooing noises to comfort the baby who seemed to be waking up. He grinned at his scrunching face. "He's really small."

She giggled. "Why don't you take him outside and show the others," she said.

Ichigo looked at her and smiled. "Right. Be right back." He stood up and gently walked outside, only to be confronted by their family and friends.

"It's a boy," Ichigo grinned widely with pride.

Kurosaki Takeshi was finally here.

* * *

A/N: this chapter was a lot shorter but I really like it. I didn't write too much about Takeshi because the remaining chapters of this story will be focused practically on him (besides the two parents, of course). I never seen a delivery nor hung around people in their last month of pregnancy before so I wasn't quite sure how to write the first and last scene. But I did what I could and did a little research. Hopefully it came out well.

Thanks for reading and please review! They really encourage me.

Preview for next chapter:

Bringing the baby home


	11. Home Sweet Home, Baby

**Author's Note: HELLO to all my readers and reviewers! Thank you for all the support and love you guys have been giving me. I'm sorry I'm a day late with this chapter (I already broke on of my resolutions now *tear*) but things have been hectic for me. I was so happy to know that so many people were happy with how I wrote the previous chapter and I have to say that it gave me a lot of strength to write more. Thank you guys so much and I hope to continue to get more.**

**I know many people have been asking me about why Rukia decided to drop out of school completely after finding out she was pregnant. And some even suggested different methods for her to continue her education. Here are two answers: 1) in the sequel, I wrote that she left school so I can't change it; and 2) I don't know how the education system is like in Japan and their tolerance to teen pregnancy (since it is pretty uncommon). I didn't want to write something that's false since I like to keep my stories as close to the Japanese culture as much as possible since the plotline is taking place there. Hopefully this finally answers many questions for you guys. I might add something in the next chapter about this.**

**This chapter can be thought of as a filler chapter. Several days have passed since Takeshi was born. There might be some awkward parts here because I randomly placed different situations to make this a sweet and funny chapter. Don't think too much into it but just enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Bleach

* * *

Chapter 11: Home Sweet Home, Baby

* * *

Ichigo quickly opened the door and held onto it as Rukia slowly entered the house with their one week old baby in her arms. "Slowly," he told her, watching her every move.

"I know," she groaned as she carefully slipped out of her shoes and stepped out of the _genkan_. Once she was inside, Ichigo closed the door and placed a hand on her back to help her walk. "Ichigo, I'm fine."

But he dismissed her by carefully leading them to the stairs. They came to a halt at the base and looked up. "Do you want me to carry you upstairs?"

A vein popped out as Rukia took the first step. "I'm fine," she muttered through her gritted teeth.

"Rukia! Be careful!" he quickly followed after her, "You haven't completely recovered from giving birth—"

"If you don't shut up I'm going to kick you," she threatened as she arrived at the top of the stairs. "And for the last time, I'm fine so please stop pestering me about the tiniest things."

He glared at her as he reached the nursery. "Bitch, is this the thanks I get for watching over your safety?" They both arrived at the new baby crib where Rukia lightly placed the sleeping Takeshi inside it. The baby squirmed a little to get more comfortable on his new bed before he started to breath more evenly again.

The new parents let out a breath in relief. "Let's get out before he wakes up," Rukia said she quietly pushed out.

Ichigo silently closed the door before leading them back to his room. "We actually made it without waking him up," he sighed.

Rukia absentmindedly nodded as she made her way to his bed and gently set her body on the mattress. She slipped off her long coat and tossed it onto the chair by his desk, not bothering to change out of the light sun dress she was wearing. "I'm getting some sleep," she said as she rested on her side, facing the window.

"And I'm joining you," he walked over and carefully got on the bed behind her. After stripping down to only his boxers and checking to make sure the baby monitor was working, he pulled up the covers around them and settled down. Just as sleep was about to befall over him, he felt Rukia moving around as she cuddled against him. He groaned. "Stay still."

"Sorry," she muttered, "It still feels weird without having the baby inside me anymore."

"It's natural," he yawned as he moved to accommodate for her body against him, "Just ignore it and go to sleep. The others are going to be here in a few hours and we won't get any rest when that happens."

Rukia mumbled some incoherent words as she closed her eyes to try and sleep. The past week was spent in the hospital as she recovered from giving birth. It was still surreal to finally feel and see her baby that sometimes it felt like he wasn't hers.

But there was no denying that he was her child. Takeshi was born with her dark hair and violet eyes. It seemed he adopted absolutely nothing from his father at first glance…but the moment he started crying whenever he was taken away from his mother was proof enough that he was just like Ichigo.

Though he may not look like him, Takeshi's personality was so similar to Ichigo that even he was surprised. The kid was already a mommy's boy and would give a familiar scowl whenever something didn't go his way. And Isshin had graciously played videos of Ichigo when he was a baby, showing _every_ inch of him as he cried for his mother. Ichigo screamed at his father to turn off the tape but Rukia just laughed, noticing just how much more similar he and their child really were.

After a full rest in the hospital—plus several more days because Isshin didn't want her to stress her body too much—they were finally able to bring their baby home. Right after dropping them off, Isshin took the twins and Yume to the some last minute shopping for that night. Apparently, without Ichigo or Rukia's knowledge, they had invited all their friends to their house to give the baby a homecoming, only informing them just before they were dropped off in front of the house.

So within a few hours the Kurosaki residence will be filled with its usual noise and excitement…but until then, the two just wanted some sleep in their comfortable bed—

"_WAHH! WAH! WAAH!"_

But time just flies by so quickly when there was a baby.

The two new parents cringed as the cries of their newborn baby screeched out to them through the monitor, slowly bringing them out of their short slumbers and into reality.

"Ichigo," Rukia groaned. "Go get him."

If it was any other day, he would have just kicked her out the bed, but seeing how she was still recovering, Ichigo pulled his heavy body up and dragged his feet to where his son was crying. "I'm coming," he yawned as he slipped into the nursery.

Turning on the lights, Ichigo approached the crib and reached for his infant son. Pulling him up, Ichigo held his son securely in his arms before gently rocking him side to side. Takeshi's cries quickly ended as he stared at his father and his outrageous hair.

Another warm, tingling feeling went through Ichigo's body as he stared straight into Takeshi's eyes. "Hey there, kiddo," he smiled.

The baby merely blinked several times in response.

"What ya' looking at?" he narrowed his eyes at him although his grin was still intact. "You have a problem with me, punk?" Takeshi just continued blinking at him before closing his eyes with a peaceful look on his face.

It amazed Ichigo that he actually created this perfect being in his arms. For several more minutes, he continued to gently rock his son as he sat on the rocking chair. He took the time to memorize every little inch of his son's face, completely ignorant of how much time was ticking away.

"Is he asleep?"

Ichigo looked up to see Rukia leaning against the open door. He smiled at her while still rocking in the chair. "Why did you get up?"

"Your bed is too cold when you're not there," she shrugged as she approached him. She peered down at the now-sleeping baby and almost laughed. "I wonder why he woke up in the first place if he was going to go straight back to sleep."

"Who knows? Maybe he just wanted some attention."

As he slowly stood up, Rukia hugged him from behind to sigh. "Well, he sure does make a good alarm clock. We've been asleep for two hours and it's about time the others get here."

Ichigo immediately cringed at the thought. "Can't we just cancel it? It's not like we actually want to do it."

"I know but your father insists on it," she told him, "Not to mention our friends want to see Takeshi again."

"They saw him yesterday," he groaned.

"But they want to him again today," she smacked him lightly on the back and went back to staring at Takeshi. "Looks like he's asleep. You should put him down."

Ichigo nodded as he set the baby back into his crib, being careful as he removed his arms out from underneath him. After a few seconds of silence, reassuring them the baby was not going to wake up, Ichigo and Rukia quickly—but silently—left the nursery.

"We should set up downstairs."

He groaned again. "Please no."

Rukia rolled her eyes as she grabbed his wrist and led them down the stairs. Turning on all the lights, she looked around as if analyzing the place. "Where should we start?"

Ichigo sighed in defeat as he allowed her to shove a broom and duster into his hands.

---

The day had turned from bad to worse.

Ichigo was currently sitting by the kitchen table, 'chatting' with his buddies while the others were in the living room, torturing his poor son who had just woken up.

"KYAAAAAAA!" All the girls—minus Tatsuki and plus Isshin—all squealed over the baby crib. "KAWAIIIIIIII!!!!"

Ichigo cringed at their high-pitched voices and felt bad that his son had to be at the receiving end of it. "I should go save him." Just as he was about to get up, a rough hand landed on his shoulder and shoved him back into his seat.

"You can try, but just know you'll never get back out alive," Ikkaku deadpanned, almost like he was talking to a soldier who was about to foolishly walk into a battlefield.

"What are you—"

"Takeshi can handle it since he's still young," Renji said as he placed his hand on the other shoulder, talking in the similar manner as his bald _sempai_. "But if you go in there, those ladies—plus your father—are just going to rip you apart."

Ichigo looked at his two friends before carefully looking over to where Takeshi was located amongst the sea of crazed women. And sure enough, it looked too dangerous. "So I'm supposed to just stand by and watch while those wolves—and my crazy old man—devour my child?"

"Don't worry. He's immune to their threats," Ikkaku reassured him.

Renji nodded. "Yes, but we are not. Takeshi is taking this one for the team."

"What team?" Tatsuki rolled her eyes in pure annoyance, suddenly appearing next to them. "You guys are talking shit."

"Quiet, woman! And why are you here with us when you should be with your kind over there?!" Ikkaku snapped at her.

"What exactly does that mean?" she snarled at him as she started to roll up her sleeves.

Immediately noticing the danger, Renji quickly grabbed her arms from behind, holding her back. "Calm down, Arisawa!"

"Let go of me, pineapple!" she barked at him, her legs flying around as she tried to kick the man in front of her, "I'm going to beat this crystal ball to the future!"

"Bring it!" he challenged back, although he was also being held back by Yumichikia.

Ichigo just groaned as he got back up, but instead of going to his son he made his way into the kitchen to escape the chaos. His mood got slightly better when he saw Rukia, who was moving some food onto a plate. "Hey, what are you doing here all by yourself?"

She looked up at him and sighed. "Getting away from all the screaming. I was going to bring Takeshi with me, but that would be bringing the source of all the chaos with me."

"I know what you mean," he nodded as he reached over to a plate of fruits and popped a grape into his mouth. "At least he's not complaining about all the attention. He hasn't cried once."

"I guess it's because he knows he's safe and no one is going to hurt him when we're only a few feet away."

Ichigo snorted as he leaned against the fridge. "I'm afraid what this might do to Takeshi's state of mind."

"Don't worry. It's not like he's going to turn into your father."

"Let's hope not," he sighed.

As they were chatting, Yoruichi suddenly appeared in the kitchen and joined in on their conversation. "What are the two new parents doing here?"

"Hiding from the warzone," Ichigo deadpanned, "Pretty soon those people are going to start ripping each other's heads off."

The older woman chuckled at the thought. "You should have at least saved your kid from the battle scene. Isshin is already cooing at Takeshi's little 'wee-wee,' saying how it's going to grow big as his."

"Oh shit no," Ichigo cursed as he ran out to intercept his father. The two remaining women merely stood still as they heard the enraged new-father attacking his father. And no sooner were his words said before they saw Isshin being thrown across the room, pass the kitchen, and slam into the wall.

Yoruichi laughed as she eyed her old friend. "I knew Ichigo would become protective over his kid, just like Isshin."

"Don't tell Ichigo that. Hearing how similar he is to his father is an insult," Rukia smirked.

"I won't," she smiled at her before asking. "So how does it feel to be a mom? Is your body feeling better?"

The moment she heard those words, Rukia felt her body aching all over. "Better than before, I guess. At least I can walk around without wincing every few steps."

"I remember when I had Jinta," Yoruichi said, cringing at the memories, "I hated the pain so much that I decided 'no more kids.' It took me months to get back my figure."

Rukia looked down at her own figure and sighed. "How long does it usual take women to get rid of this weight from pregnancy?"

"Differs with each person," she answered, "Just eat healthy and walk around a lot. I heard yoga is good since it doesn't put too much stress on your body." Rukia merely nodded as her hands felt around her wide stomach. Yoruichi just stared at her face as it turned more depressing by the second. Smiling, she patted the young mother's shoulder and said, "Don't worry. I'm sure Ichigo still thinks you're beautiful."

Rukia looked up with a sudden red hue on her face as she shook her head. "N-no! That's not why—I mean, that's nice…but I'm—"

But Yoruichi interrupted her by laughing out loud. "If you don't believe me, then let's go ask him ourselves."

"Wha—Yoruichi-san!" Rukia gasped when she grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of the kitchen.

"Ichigo!" she called out as she dragged the other woman into the living room with her.

The said man looked up and immediately felt something bad was going to happen by the look on both women's faces. "What?"

Grinning like a Cheshire cat, she pulled Rukia in front of her and literally shoved her forward.

"Wah!" Rukia screamed but was luckily caught in time by a pair of muscular arms that wrapped around her body. She slightly winced due to her sore body, but relaxed against the rock-hard chest that she knew so well. "Thanks," she whispered.

"No problem," Ichigo whispered back before throwing the other woman a glare. "What the hell was that for? Rukia could have gotten seriously hurt!"

"So protective," Urahara sighed from the side.

Ichigo just growled his annoyance at him before looking back at the laughing Yoruichi. "Seriously, why did you do that?"

"I just wanted to ask you something," she smirked, "We—as in both Rukia and I—were wondering if—"

"Yoruichi-san!" Rukia tried to stop her, but she was already too late.

"—You still think Rukia's beautiful even if her body's not back to normal. And if she wanted to, are you still willing to sleep with her like this?"

Ichigo immediately grew red at the question while Rukia groaned in despair. "Wha—what kind of q-question is _that_?!" he yelled.

"A totally logical question!" Isshin suddenly popped up out of nowhere and grabbed Rukia—who was still in Ichigo's embrace—and placed her in front of Ichigo as if she was a picture that was being shown around. "Now Ichigo, even though Rukia-chan might not be back to her original self, she's still the same woman. So you better treat her with great care and love."

"But I—"

"What would your dear mother say if she finds out you were only with Rukia-chan because of her great figure!" Isshin cried as he hugged Rukia tightly against his chest, "She'd be turning in her grave if you end up throwing away Rukia-chan just because she has put on some weight! When did our son turn into such an inconsiderate person?!"

Ichigo groaned as his father continued with his banter. It was only when he caught Rukia's glare, asking for him to save her that he finally stepped forward. He quickly shoved his father away and pulled Rukia back against him. "Shut up already! You're a grown man but you're crying more than Takeshi!"

"How dare you!" Isshin gasped, "Takeshi should be crying a lot more like me or else he might be turned into an insensitive jerk like you who doesn't appreciate his mother!"

"Shut up!" he punched his father, sending him flying once more.

"Ara, isn't this getting exciting!" Urahara sang out loud as ducked in time to avoid his friend's body.

But instead of staying down, Isshin jumped back up and dived towards his son. "Not fast enough, my first offspring!"

Rukia sidestepped just in time to avoid the attack and walked over to pick up her son, keeping him a safe distance away from the fight by taking him out of the room. "Please don't ever grow up to be like them," she whispered to the yawning Takeshi.

It didn't take a few seconds before Ichigo noticed Rukia was no longer in the room. He tossed aside Isshin one last time with all his strength, successfully knocking him out. "Fucking old man, just stay down for good."

"You know you'll miss him the moment he stops," Yoruichi teased him.

"Shut up," he glared at her, "I'm going upstairs." With only a wave, he left everyone downstairs and made his way to his room. He first looked inside to see if Rukia was there, but when it was completely dark and empty he slowly made his way to the nursery. Slightly opening the door, he peered inside and a genuine smile spread over his face as he watched Rukia rocking their baby to sleep.

It was the perfect picture that he would never forget.

* * *

A/N: Aw! I think the last bit about Rukia rocking the baby was sweet. I remember someone telling me how much he fell in love with his wife even more when he watched her taking care of their first born. That was the sweetest thing I ever heard. So I wanted to add a similar part in here.

How did you guys like the Isshin-craziness? He is my favorite character to write. I will never get bored with him because I can experiment all kinds of actions with him. So wait to read more about him.

Thanks a lot for reading. Please review and I hope to find time to make a "THANK YOU" list very soon (hopefully within the next three chapters).

(Sorry but no preview this time; I'm still working on it)


	12. Being Us

**Author's Note: Hello everyone! I am so happy to tell everyone that I have finished planning the rest of this story! In around 5 more chapters, this story is going to end. Sad, but necessary because I don't want to make this too long for those who are waiting to finish this story before reading the sequel. I actually wrote the last chapter but now I only have to write the chapters in-between. Look forward to see how I end this!  
**

**In this chapter, a few months have passed since Takeshi was born. I don't want to take too long by writing every single day or week of their lives so I am going faster. This chapter is focused on how the new parents are dealing with a baby. While at the same time Ichigo is dealing with his normal teenage life in school as he starts planning for the future. I think this is cute, so please read and enjoy.  
**

**Also, thanks to everyone who reviewed! The love I am getting from you guys are really encouraging. This story is dedicated to everyone who loves this story and especially those who reviewed. I was planning on making a "THANK YOU LIST" but I might push it off until the end. I will be long but definitely worth it due to the love you guys have been giving me. Again, thanks!**

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Bleach

* * *

Chapter 12: Being Us

* * *

Five months.

Five months have passed since Takeshi was born and the days were getting even more hectic, especially with Isshin spoiling his only grandson to the extent that he sees Takeshi more than his parents.

Ichigo, now in second year of high school, was starting to feel the stress of raising a baby. Sure he loved his son like crazy, but the diaper changing and the middle-of-the-night crying fest was getting old, fast. All it did was deprive him of the much needed sleep.

So here he was, yawning out loud as he tried to suppress sleep creeping into his eyes while the teacher was going on and on about something in front of the class.

"Is there a problem, Kurosaki?"

Ichigo was pulled out from his dazed state when his name was suddenly called. "Wha-what?"

The teacher glared at the orange head. "If this class is so boring, why didn't you just stay at home?"

"Uh, sorry," he quickly apologized, "I just haven't been getting much sleep these days."

"Che, of course," the teacher snorted, "Must be hard having a kid in the house so early in life. I swear, kids these days can't keep it in their pants…" he muttered some incoherent words as he returned to write some stuff on the blackboard.

Ichigo just ignored his teacher, already too used to people talking shit about him. He only fought back when somebody made a target at Rukia or Takeshi. But after getting in trouble at school several times already, he forced himself to ignore those comments in fear of getting suspended, or worse, expelled.

_Ding ding ding!_

The bell finally rang and the teacher wasted no time to leave the classroom.

"Aw man, that was fucking long." Renji stretched his arm above his head.

"Even I'm tired," Uryuu sighed.

Renji slowly got up from his desk and walked over to the orange head who was yawning again. "This is the third time this week you almost got into trouble for almost falling asleep in class. What's going on?"

"Takeshi has been getting grumpier ever since I started school again," Ichigo said, "Not to mention he doesn't like sleeping alone in the nursery. "

By then Tatsuki and the others came over to join in on the conversation. "That's because you and Kuchiki spoil him too much. I read somewhere it's not good to let the baby sleep with you too long, and that's what you two did."

"Let's see if you can say 'no' to that kid's face," Ichigo groaned, ignoring the comment about him being whipped by some people.

"Is Kuchiki-san coming over today?" Orihime asked.

He nodded as he pulled out his phone to check for any messages from the said person. "Apparently Yume-san made some food and she's bringing it for lunch."

"Well, we'll go up to the roof first so meet us there," Tatsuki said as she grabbed Orihime's hand and led her away, not even waiting for a reply. Uryuu, Renji and Chad soon followed after them

Checking his phone, he noticed a message blinking on the screen. After quickly reading its content, he left his room and headed to the front of the school. As he arrived at the lockers, he noticed Rukia was already there, pushing the baby stroller inside the building.

"You sure did get here fast."

Rukia looked up and smiled. "Takeshi was getting restless to see you," she pointed at the stroller for emphasis.

Ichigo walked over and helped her pull the stroller in completely before peering down to a smiling Takeshi. "How're you doing big guy?" The baby squealed in excitement at seeing his father.

"He just woke up from a long nap so he's really happy," she told him.

"Were there any problem getting here?" he asked.

"Nope, everything went smoothly.

"Good," he nodded before bending down to unfasten the belts and lift Takeshi out of his stroller. "Have you guys eaten yet?"

Rukia shook her head as she pushed the stroller over to the corner before joining him. "Obaachan made enough to share with everyone so I decided to eat with you. Takeshi hasn't eaten yet either." She handed him the picnic basket and walked beside him to the roof.

The moment they opened the door, their friends started running towards them.

"TAKESHI!" some squealed.

"FOOD!" the other—mostly males—screamed.

Ichigo expertly dodged everyone's attack by stepping off to the side with Takeshi, Rukia and picnic basket in his arms. He didn't even pretend to be fazed when they all crashed into the door. "Idiots," he snorted as he calmly continued his walk to their spot on the roof where some of the sane people were still sitting there.

"Kuchiki, good to see you got here safely," Tatsuki said as she scooted over to make room for the tiny family. "And how's Takeshi doing?"

The baby giggled in response.

"He's adorable," Chad muttered with a small blush on his cheeks as he wiggled his finger in front of the entertained baby.

"Yeah, but too stubborn like his father," Rukia commented as she started pulling out the content inside the basket, promptly ignoring the glare from the orange head next to her. She simply handed him a bottle of milk as she continued her conversation. "How's school so far?"

Everyone groaned.

"That bad?"

Uryuu grabbed some of the food he was handed by Rukia as he answered her. "With college entrance exams next year, we have a lot more material to work on now."

"Not to mention all our teachers this year are asses," Tatsuki added.

"That's too bad," Rukia commented. Just as she finally finished setting up lunch, everyone who was missing from the circle quickly returned to their seats.

"Ittadakemasu!" they all shouted before digging into the food, ignoring the pain and blood on them that was due to their collision against the door a minute ago.

"So," she continued, "With the exams and all, have any of you guys decided on which colleges to apply to yet?"

"They're planning on the police academy," Hinamori pointed to the three older _sempai_'s: Matsumoto, Ikkaku and Yumichika.

Rukia's eyes widened at the news. "Seriously? You guys never mention anything about that before."

"We just thought of it," Matsumoto shrugged her shoulders, "Unlike the rest of these guys, we're graduating this year so we're more pressured to think about our future goals."

"And what better then to be cops so we can beat up people," Ikkaku grinned.

Everyone groaned, obviously too exhausted to explain to him again that that wasn't the main job of a police officer.

"I'm thinking about becoming a teacher," Orihime said, moving forward with their conversation. "And after hanging out with Takeshi-kun, I think I might work with preschool."

"Too bad that kid will be too old to be in your class by then," her best friend pointed to the baby that was being fed by his father. Orihime slightly pouted, muttering her disappointment as Tatsuki continued. "Teaching sounds fun for me too, but I might do it at the dojo."

Ichigo looked up. "Planning on taking over that place?" he asked, insinuating the dojo they had attended together as kids. He immediately got a big grin and a nod as an answer. "Good luck with that," he smirked.

"What about you, Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime asked.

Ichgio shrugged his shoulders as he pulled the bottle away from Takeshi. "Most likely take over the clinic after my old man."

"Why not try the main hospital in Karakura?" Hitsugaya asked.

He immediately snorted at the idea. "And risk working with that pansy over there—" he pointed to Uryuu, "—and his crazy old man? No thanks."

"Fine with me," Uryuu scoffed.

"And you, Kuchiki-san?" Orihime asked, "Are you planning on starting school again?" Everyone suddenly stopped to turn to Rukia, waiting to hear her response. Even Ichigo stiffened, wondering what she would answer.

But unlike what the others thought, she hadn't thought too much about it yet. "I'm not sure. School sounds like a great plan but with Takeshi around I don't think I'll be able to work things out."

"But what about working?"

She shrugged. "If I can find a good place that can work with my personal life, then maybe."

"Che, you shouldn't have to work at all," Tatsuki snorted, "Ichigo is going to be a doctor so he'll make enough money to provide for you and Takeshi."

"Yeah, but I don't want to rely on this idiot completely. He does have the intelligence of a buffoon."

"Oi!" Ichigo glared at her when he heard Renji laughing his ass off. "Shut up, babbon."

Renji immediately glared as he raised his fist. "What did you call me, carrot top?"

"You heard me you overgrown fu—OW!" He rubbed the spot on his arm where Rukia had just pinched him. "What was that for, midget?!"

"How many times must I tell you to watch your language in front of the baby," she snapped at him as she took Takeshi away.

"Such a protective mother," Tatsuki smirked.

Lunch continued peacefully…with occasional punches and kicks here and there, with everyone getting their fill of Yume's delicious lunch. In no time the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch, and they all helped pack up everything. They all rushed downstairs to their class except Ichigo who was walking slowly with Rukia and Takeshi to escort them out of school.

"Don't you have to get going?" she frowned at him.

"Nah, I'll walk you to the gates."

"Don't blame me if you get into trouble," she chuckled.

Just as they walked by the staff office, a teacher came out and almost walked into them. "Oh! Kuchiki! What are you doing here?"

Rukia bowed in greeting. "I'm just here to see Ichigo. How have you been, Ochi-sensei?"

She smiled as she patted her shoulder. "I'm doing really well. Is that Takeshi-kun?"

"Yup, this is him," Ichigo lifted his son higher in his hold.

"Aw, he's so cute," she giggled as she tickled the baby's tummy. She looked back at Rukia and asked, "How long are you staying here?"

"Actually, I was planning on leaving right now," she told her, "I don't want to bother Ichigo while he has class."

"Well, walk home safe," Ochi-sensei smiled, "And come visit us more often. I'd like to play with Takeshi-kun too.

"No problem," Rukia smiled as she said her farewells. The small family continued to the front doors of the school where the stroller was. Just like any other time, they ignored some of the looks they were getting as Ichigo placed Takeshi back into his stroller and Rukia shoved the now-empty picnic basket underneath the stroller. Once everything was secure, they made their way to the school gates. "I'll see you back home," she smiled at him.

"Be safe." He leaned over and gave her a sweet kiss on the lips. Ichigo remained on the same spot as he watched Rukia slowly disappear down the street, his overprotective nature preventing him from moving even as the bell rung behind him to signal the start of class.

It wasn't until well after class started that he finally forced his legs to move, not after Rukia but to his class where he knew he was going to get another scolding from his teacher for being late.

---

Grabbing the towel, Ichigo stepped out of the shower and started to wipe himself down. Quickly slipping into a pair of boxers, he stepped outside, ready to return to his room to finish his book, when he was forced to step back. "What the—"

"Ichigo!" Isshin squealed as he grabbed his son and ran downstairs.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Ichigo shoved his father away when they reached the living room, only to be greeted by Yume and the Urahara couple who were sitting on the couch, all drinking tea.

"Not bad," Yoruichi smirked at his state of dress while her husband chuckled behind that stupid fan of his.

The orange head groaned as he looked at his father. "Why did you bring me down here, old man?"

"Why else? To plan your wedding of course!" he shouted.

"We're not getting married," Ichigo deadpanned but couldn't say anything more when his father's fist collided with his guts.

"Nonsense! By next year Takeshi will be running around so that makes it perfect for him to walk down the aisle as the ring-bearer—"

"Shut up!" Ichigo punched his father back, stopping his rambling. He then glared at the couple. "Were you the ones who put the idea of marriage into his head again?"

Urahara continued chuckling. "We're not that stupid."

"And that other time was completely Isshin as well," Yoruichi added, "If anything we've been trying to stop him, telling him Rukia would only end up suffering by marrying you."

Instead of commenting Ichigo groaned in irritation as he looked at Yume for some help.

But the old lady just shrugged her shoulders. "I was actually siding with your father this entire time."

"If Rukia heard you, she would have called you a traitor," Yoruichi smirked.

Yume laughed behind her hand. "Just because she decided not to get married doesn't mean I think the same thing. I've been trying to get her to change her mind but so far nothing has changed."

"Maybe her decision has more to do with how she feels about the young father," Urahara gave Ichigo a sly look.

And the said man just looked away, not wanting to say anything.

But Isshin commented. "I wouldn't blame Rukia-chan. Who would want to marry a weak man like my son?"

Ichigo rolled his eyes at his father's over-dramatic reactions. "Please, let's not go over this again."

"Why not?" His father whined, earning him a slap over the head.

"Because Rukia and I agreed to take things slow between us," he said, "Just because we have a baby together doesn't mean we're in 'love.' We're just friends."

"Friends with benefits," Yoruichi added while her husband made a cat call.

Before Ichigo could strangle them, Isshin ran over to the poster of his wife and cried out, "Masaki! I have ended up raising an inconsiderate pervert that has shamed you! Not only will he not married the mother of his child, but he's tricking her into his bed for hot sex that doesn't mean anything to him because he doesn't love her like she does him, and will most likely discard her like a used tissue when—" His banter was cut off when an irritated Ichigo kicked him into the poster and through the dry wall.

"Shut up before you wake up everyone in the damn neighborhood," he snarled.

"But your father does have a point," Urahara said, earning him a confused look from the orange head that was still kicking his father further into the wall. "Kuchiki-san doesn't have any reason to stay here except Takeshi. One day you're going to find someone else or she will and by then it'll be too late to create a relationship."

"So you two should just get together now," Yume added with her sweet smile, though her eyes were stern.

Ichigo gulped as he stepped away from his father's still form. He scratched the back of his head like he usually does in an odd situation such as this. "Well, if anything, we are…um, trying to…step forward?" he shrugged with some uncertainty. Sure they were still hugging, kissing, etc., but they haven't had sex for months (including the last few months of her pregnancy) and they haven't had a chance to talk about their developing relationship these days because they have been so occupied with Takeshi.

"I don't think that's good enough," her eyebrow quirked up a bit.

"Not to mention you sound uncertain of your words," Yoruichi nodded.

He looked between the three people on the couch, feeling uncomfortable under their criticizing gaze. "Look, I know you guys are all worried about us, but right now we're doing really well. So please don't try to step in or else you might mess things up."

"Can we trust you?" Urahara asked as he placed a hand on the old lady's shoulder. "You wouldn't want to mess with this sweet lady's granddaughter. That'd be too cruel." She nodded in agreement.

"Seriously," he said in a confident tone this time, "We're getting there even without your help. So don't question us about it anymore. Hell, just wait until you get the wedding invitation…who knows when that will be though."

"That's good enough!" Isshin suddenly jumped out from the large hole in the wall and laughed out loud, ignoring the blood dripping down his face. "Let's go out and celebrate!" He shouted as he grabbed his friends and ran out the front door before anyone could stop him.

"Oh my," Yume giggled as she got up. "Well, I'm turning in for the night. Staying up too late isn't good for my bones. Goodnight."

Ichigo wished her back a good night before following upstairs after her. Grumbling about perverted old men, Ichigo walked into the nursery to see a very pleasing sight. Rukia was carefully rocking Takeshi in her arms as he fell into deep slumber. Just by watching her, being the natural mother that she was, made his heart beat faster. Maybe it was because of what just happened, but whatever the reason, Ichigo knew he wanted to hold her. When Rukia set him back down on the crib, Ichigo walked over and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.

"Isn't he adorable?" she asked, not at all startled by his sudden appearance. It was almost as if she knew he would come and hug her.

"Stop describing him with such sissy adjectives. Takeshi is a Kurosaki which only makes him more manly and handsome." Ichigo smirked.

Rukia lightly slapped his arms. "Are you trying to tell me our son doesn't have any of my genes that make him beautiful?"

Ichigo raised a brow at her. "Do _you_ see yourself as 'beautiful'?"

Rukia glared at him before releasing Ichigo's arms around her and walked outside. Ichigo only chuckled as he followed her, leaving the door slightly open as he left. And before Rukia could make a turn into her room, Ichigo grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his own.

"Ichigo, what are you—" Her sentence got cut off when Ichigo closed the door shut and planted his lips against hers. Rukia stiffened as his lips placed wet kisses on her lips. She didn't know when it happened but soon her eyes closed and she started to respond to him. Her arms wound themselves around his waist and Ichigo also pulled her tighter against him as their kiss deepened.

He wasn't sure what came over him. Maybe it was all those questions he had received from the adults a little while ago? Or maybe he realized how long it had been since they were intimate and was starting to feel his hormones going crazy? Whatever the reason, it seemed necessary for him to feel her warm skin against his, and now that they were alone, he wanted more.

Seconds later, when the need for air became too great, they pulled away, but only a few inches. Ichigo stared down at Rukia's blushing face through half-lidded eyes, trying to cover the obvious lust that was hidden there.

That was all he needed to know to continue.

---

"It's good to know we're moving forward even after the baby's born."

Rukia scoffed as she slapped his arm. "You sound shocked."

Ichigo snickered as his hand travelled up and down her bare back, his fingers lightly tracing over her spine. "This is nice."

"It is," she sighed as she cuddled next to him.

He closed his eye as if concentrating on memorizing the shape of her body with his own. "Hey, was there any moment that you felt…any discomfort?"

"No. Why?" she asked.

He shrugged his shoulder. "Well, it's only been a few months since you had Takeshi so I only guessed you would feel…you know."

She smiled at his unwillingness to finish his sentence. "You mean how I might feel down _there_ during sex?"

A light blush came across him as he opened his eyes a little to glare at her for making him uncomfortable. "Yeah."

Rukia almost giggled at his expression. "Don't worry. I feel completely fine."

"Good," he sighed in relief before wrapping both arms around her body, her petite form coming back from the pregnancy. "Are you going to spend the night here with me?"

She remained quiet as she thought about it. "Why not? It's too much of a hassle to put on all those clothes and go to sleep when I'm already comfortable here."

"Good," he said again as he held her tighter.

"Goodnight," she whispered as she snuggled into his chest.

Ichigo leaned down and kissed the top of her head as he held her closer. "Goodnight, midget."

* * *

A/N: I know what a lot of you guys are thinking: was the ending part really necessary? Well, I could have pushed it off but I decided to put it in now so I don't have to awkwardly place it somewhere else. And I wanted to show that they are still 'moving forward' in their relationship, as Ichigo said. Just showing the steps they are taking to arrive at the place that is shown in the beginning of the sequel. This is all planned so please don't hate.

Thanks for reading and please review!

Preview for next chapter:

A sad event rains over Ichigo and Rukia's newfounding relationship. How will they stand up to the death of a loved one?


	13. Time Stands Still for No One

**Author's Note: HELLO to all my readers and THANK YOU to all my reviewers! I've been writing nonstop to try and finish this story and so far everything is looking good. In a few more weeks I'll be glad to announce that this prequel is ending. BUT! that is still some time away so let's just enjoy what we have right now.**

**As many of you guys have guessed it, something tragic will happen. I haven't dealt with such painful farewells since I was a kid so I had a hard time writing out the emotions. I still tried my best and I hope you guys like it (and don't worry if you get a little teary). This is short but I just didn't want an angsty chapter to last too long.**

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Bleach

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Chapter 13: Time Stands Still For No One

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Rukia woke up as her alarm started buzzing uncontrollably next to her. Turning it off with a slap from her hand, she sat up to see Yume sleeping peacefully next to her in their big bed. A thin eyebrow rose up at this.

_She never sleeps longer then me…_

"Obaachan," she whispered as she slightly shook her shoulder.

The older woman slightly steered before looking over her shoulder to see a worried look on her granddaughter's face. "What's wrong, dear?"

"Obaachan, are you okay?" she asked.

Yume took in a deep breath before turning over onto her back. After settling into her new position, she weakly smiled at Rukia. "I'm fine. Just tired today, that's all."

But that didn't help much to lessen her worry. "You want me to get you anything?"

"No, I'll be alright," she said before looking passed her to check the time. "Oh my, it's already so late. Don't you have to take Takeshi to the doctor's today?"

Rukia shook her head. "Ichigo can take him since he doesn't have school today. I can stay here if you're not feeling well."

"Nonsense," she replied without missing a beat, "I'm fine. Go before Takeshi-kun starts making a fuss." Before Rukia could say anything back, she slowly got up and started pushing her off the bed. "Go. _That'll_ make me feel better."

Reluctantly, Rukia got off the bed and changed out of her pajamas and into something more outdoorsy. After another push from Yume, she left the room to finish getting ready: brushing her teeth, waking Ichigo, waking Takeshi, etc. After finishing her other tasks, she quickly returned to their bedroom to kneel down in front of Yume who was lying on the bed again. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Yume lightly chuckled as she patted her granddaughter on the head. "You're too young to worry so much. I'll be fine so just go."

"Okay. I have me phone with me so call me if you need anything."

Yume nodded lightly before leaning up to press a light kiss on Rukia's forehead. "I'll see you soon, my little Rukia."

There was a slight pause as Rukia was about to question her grandmother's words when she heard Ichigo calling for her downstairs. With one last look, Rukia stood up to leave.

Yume only watched on with calm eyes as her granddaughter finally left the room. Letting out a sigh, she looked to the side and smiled sadly at the picture on the nightstand. It was taken many years ago when she and her husband first got Rukia. The bright smiles in that picture were something she knew she would never forget.

"Take good care of my granddaughter, Ichigo," she deeply sighed as she closed her eyes to get some peaceful rest.

---

"You've been frowning all day. Is something wrong?" Ichigo asked as he pushed the stroller down the street.

Rukia sighed as she walked next to him. "It's just that obaachan was acting weird this morning."

"She wasn't awake when I was downstairs," he nodded.

"And she was saying some weird stuff before I left," she added but shook her head to get rid of the weird feeling that was crawling up her chest. "I'm sure it's nothing, right?"

Ichigo looked down at her worried eyes, but didn't have the courage to lie to them. "We'll see what's wrong when we get home."

It was a decent response. "Yeah." She looked down to see Takeshi asleep in the stroller, exhausted after the long trip to the doctors. She smiled sweetly at him. "I'm sure as soon as she sees Takeshi, she'll be alright."

"As long as he doesn't start crying again." Ichigo smiled as his eyes strayed down to his son for a bit. "He hates everyone except his family members."

Rukia chuckled lightly as they came up to the house that they knew so well. As Rukia lifted Takeshi into her arms, Ichigo folded the stroller as they entered the house. "Tadaima," she softly called out.

But instead of being greeted by the usual bunch of happy people, a small sniffling noise came from the living room. Confused, they both made their way to the sound—after putting the stroller away—to see Yuzu crying softly while Karin was trying her best to comfort her.

"What's going on?" Ichigo frowned.

Both looked up but when Yuzu saw Rukia she just started crying harder so Karin answered instead. "Ichi-nii…Rukia-nee…" she started, but stopped when her throat suddenly became dry.

Rukia gently handed the sleeping baby to Ichigo as she approached the sisters. "What's wrong? You can tell us."

Karin looked down as Yuzu's cries got louder. "Karakura…General Hospital," she whispered.

The frown deepened. "What?"

"Yume-obaasan…"

Violet eyes widened in sudden realization. She gapped at them in disbelief as she started to choke up. "O-Obaachan…She's at the hospital?"

No longer trusting her voice Karin merely nodded.

"Why?" Ichigo asked. But not waiting for an answer Rukia jumped up and ran out of the house. "Rukia!" he called out but she ignored him. Quickly handing Yuzu the baby, he ran after her. "Wait!" He finally caught up to her, stopping her with a firm grip on her arm. "Stop running. We can the—" his words died off as he noticed the distress look on her face.

"Obaachan," she choked, face thoroughly wet with tears that suddenly started to fall. "She's…she might be…"

"Calm down," he told her, although he knew it would go on deaf ears. "You can't go by yourself in this state. Let's catch a cab, okay?"

She bluntly nodded as she allowed him to lead her. They half walked and half jogged until they could catch a cab to take them to the hospital. It was crazy to think that while they were at a children's clinic on the other side of town, Yume was taken to the General Hospital for who knew what reasons. Rukia was heaving like she had ran a marathon and nothing was calming down her nerves, not even Ichigo's comforting hand.

The passing scenery didn't register in her mind. In fact, nothing was really making sense to her. Why would Yume suddenly get sick when she seemed perfectly fine the day before? Tears sprang up even more when Rukia thought about how much her grandmother must have been hiding her pain so nobody would notice. And she had been too busy with the baby to have figured this out sooner.

The moment the cab stopped in front of the hospital, she didn't wait to make sure Ichigo paid the driver but instead just ran out, rushing to the emergency room.

Straight?

Left?

Right?

Rukia looked around, not sure which way to go. She couldn't even read the signs with her head all messed up.

"Rukia!" Ichigo ran up to her. "I thought I told you not to—"

"I don't know where to go," she whimpered as she looked up at him with hopeless eyes. "Ichigo, where do I go? Where's obaachan?"

A lump formed in his throat as Ichigo saw the helpless look. "Wait," he whispered as he pulled out his phone and called his father. Rukia watched as he quietly asked where Yume was. He quickly hung up when he got his answer before grabbing her hand and running down the hall to their left.

It felt like they were running around in a maze, but Rukia didn't care. She knew Ichigo would take her to her grandmother without getting lost. They passed room after room, doctors after patients as they continued to run to where her biggest fear lied.

They skidded to a halt when they noticed Isshin talking to someone in front of a closed door. Ichigo could tell the other man was Uryuu's father, Ishida Ryuuken, the Chief of Medicine. None of them said anything as Isshin looked up when he noticed their presence. But the look he was giving them showed no surprise.

It was sorrowful.

Tears started to fall again as Rukia took a shaking step forward. "Ku-Kurosaki-san?"

Isshin looked at her before closing his eyes to sigh. Then, he slowly shook his head as he looked up to stare at the room behind him.

Rukia's eyes immediately darted over to the said room and through the blinds of the window she noticed a figure lying calmly on the bed with a long piece of white cloth covering her entire body.

"O.." she started but her voice started to choke and her vision was becoming blurry. "Oba…Obaachan…"

Ichigo looked down, unsure of how to deal with seeing Yume like that.

Dead.

Just like his mother.

He cringed at the thought. But he was suddenly pulled out of it when he felt Rukia's hand leaving his grip as she took wobbly steps toward the door. "Rukia," he softly called out to her but she didn't respond.

"Obaachan," she said again, but this time louder.

"Rukia, stop." He grabbed her arm and tried to hold her back but she pushed him away as she continued to mumble out for her grandmother. He looked up to ask help from his father, who stepped forward and stood in front of the door.

"Rukia-chan, I don't think you should go in right now—"

"Obaachan!" Rukia shouted trying to push pass him.

"Rukia!" Ichigo grabbed her and dragged her away from the door. "Listen to me. Wait until you calm down—"

"OBAACHAN!"

Ichigo bit his lower lip as he held her back, ignoring the pain whenever she punched and kicked him in hopes of reaching for her grandmother. He shoved her tear-stained face against his chest and held her tightly against him. "Rukia—"

"LET ME GO!" she screamed, "I NEED TO GET TO HER!"

"RUKIA!" he screamed this time, grabbing both sides of her face to force her focus on him. The look she gave him broke his heart. "Calm down. Please."

But the woman shook her head as more tears pulled out. "Obaachan," she whimpered, "I want her back."

"I'm sorry…"

"Ichigo, please," she choked as her throat started to close up, "Obaachan—"

But he quickly stopped her as he pulled her face back into his chest, allowing her to freely cry out her heart at the lost of the most important person who saved her from her unhappy childhood in the orphanage. And the one person who accepted her back when she left her unhappy life with her foster family.

Ichigo allowed Rukia to curse, scream and cry at the loss of such a beautiful person.

---

"Rukia," Ichigo softly called out as he opened the door to the room she had used to share with her grandmother.

The said woman was curled up into a ball on her bed, back facing him, not even acknowledging him as he entered without permission.

Feeling the depressing aura around her, he walked over until he was sitting behind her. He lifted his hand and was about to place it on her shoulder but thought better of it and retracted his arm. The two remained quiet, not daring to move as time ticked by. Ichigo looked over at the bedside table where pictures of Yume were still situated up.

Staring at her happy expression in the picture, Ichigo knew what he had to do.

"Rukia," he started, "You know Yume-san wouldn't want you to be like this."

"…" she still didn't respond.

The orange head sighed. "Takeshi is looking for you." This time Rukia slightly flinched. He got it as a sign that she was listening so he continued. "Yume-san wouldn't be happy with you if you decided to ignore our child."

He then heard her breathing starting to increase, obviously close to tears. Sighing once again, he peered out the window to see the rain pounding against the glass. It's been several days since Yume's funeral and it's been raining ever since then. It was almost crying the tears Rukia wasn't able to let out. She'd been in a zombie-like state ever since Yume passed away that even her skin felt cold. The gloomy atmosphere did nothing to help Rukia get better that it was starting to affect Takeshi.

With his young mother locking herself in her room, barely eating or sleeping, he was being deprived of his mother's love. The baby cried and wouldn't accept anyone's comforts besides that of his father. But Ichigo knew that he wasn't Rukia, which was distressing to the baby. So he had to do something before both Rukia and Takeshi got sick.

"Rukia…please. If not for me then for Takeshi's sake please come out and eat something," he pleaded.

He waited what seemed like forever until he heard her tiny, weak voice. "Ichigo…"

He thanked Yume up above for getting through to her. "Yeah?"

"How did you get over your mother's death?"

It was an unexpected question that completely floored him. Ichigo remained still in his spot, unable to say anything back.

"How did you do it?" she continued, "Because I really need help…"

Clearing his throat, Ichigo sat at the edge of the bed and stared at his hands. Horrible flashbacks were running through his minds of those dreadful days. "I…I don't know."

"…Hmm," she merely sighed.

"But…I think—" Ichigo swallowed the lump in his throat as he tried to summon all his courage to answer her. "I think I was finally able to do it…because I knew 'kachan wouldn't have wanted me to kill myself because of it. And even if I succeeded, I knew she wouldn't have been happy to see me in the afterlife so quickly." He unconsciously smiled at the thought.

Rukia made a noise close to a snort.

He stared at her for a second before finally mustering the courage to lie behind her thin body and wrap an arm around her waist. "Please come back to us."

At the feeling of his warm embrace, Rukia felt something she thought she had lost the moment her grandmother had died.

Life.

"Ichigo," she whimpered before turning around. Without showing her face, she quickly buried herself into his chest, crying out the tears she's been holding for days. "It hurts."

"I know," he said as he held her tightly. "I know, but you have to be strong. You're a mother now."

"B-but," she stuttered through her pain, "But I miss her!"

"Me too. We all do." He pulled back a little to finally see her pale face for what seems like days. He leaned forward and placed a warm kiss on her forehead. "But no matter how much we miss her, she won't come back. So the only thing we can do is live our lives the way she would have wanted us to. So please…come back to me."

Rukia sobbed freely as she clung onto him, afraid she might lose her sanity if she was to let go. And Ichigo allowed her, happy to know that he was bringing some sort of comfort to the distraught woman.

"I'm scared," she whimpered.

"I know," he replied.

"Stay with me?"

"Always."

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A/N: Unnecessary tearjerker huh? But I had to add it because it was included in the sequel. I really didn't want to kill Yume off but I had not choice. T.T

I really don't have much to say in here. Yume passed away and Rukia is suffering because of it. But Ichigo--her knight in shiny black armor--comes and helps her through it. Personally, I like the part about him talking about his mother because it shows how much he trusts her with his feelings. They are getting closer and I can't wait to finish this story!

Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!

Preview for next chapter:

Ichigo and Rukia takes Takeshi to an event at the twin's school but suddenly comes across some drama (A/N: Not that great of a chapter but I have my reasons for including this, which you guys will find out later)


	14. Our Time

**Author's Note: GREETING READERS! Thanks for all the support you guys have been giving me with this story. I am really close to ending this fanfiction so for those who have been patiently waiting to finish this before reading the sequel, have no fear! It should be over in three or four chapters. I am so excited to show you guys the last chapter (which I already finished)!**

**Sorry for the angst in the last chapter. I really didn't want to kill off Yume but I didn't have a choice *sigh* But this chapter is better. Some time has passed and it shows how strong Rukia has become and the supportive Ichigo by her side. Towards the last third of this chapter, readers will notice that I included, yet again, a part where our young couple are being scrutinized by other parents. Again, I have nothing against teen pregnancy. But I had to include this in order to show how teenage parents are perceived in a Japanese culture (and I found out in a study that Japan has one of the lowest teen pregnancy--so this situation would have been very uncommon). And I needed this to show how Rukia and Ichigo deal with this pressure. I was careful to avoid causing any problems but I understand that it could still bother someone. If that is the case, just avoid that last part. Don't waste your time or my time by writing a negative review on this topic. I will avoid them because I have pretty much explained myself here.**

**Now that I have included my two-cents (and hopefully no one was hurt by this; sorry if it did), let's get on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Bleach

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Chapter 14: Our Time

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"Tadaima," Ichigo said as he entered his house.

"Okaeri!"

Ichigo looked up but frowned when he noticed nobody was standing before him. "Rukia?" he called out as he pulled his sneakers off.

"In the living room!" she answered back.

Ichigo followed her voice to the said room. He stopped when he got close to the couch and just smiled at what he was seeing.

Rukia was crouching on the floor, shaking a Chappy doll on the ground where Takeshi was laughing with joy. The coffee table was replaced with a baby blanket that was littered with all sorts of toys.

"What are you guys doing?"

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Takeshi looked up and squealed upon seeing his father. "Papa!" He raised his tiny arms towards him, asking to get picked up.

Rukia looked up and exhaled an exhausted breath as Ichigo walked around the couch to pick up their infant son. "You're finally home. I was about to lose my mind here."

Ichigo chuckled as he lifted Takeshi high into the air before bringing the baby close to his face, then lifting him high again, and bringing him down again. They baby was just squealing, obviously enjoying his father's ability to make him 'fly.' "Where are the others?"

"Yuzu and Karin are helping with setting up the Sports Day for tomorrow at their school and your father went to the Karakura General Hospital for some supplies," Rukia told him as she laid her body on the baby blanket and closed her eyes in exhaustion. "I had to take care of the baby _and _do all the house chores by myself today."

"Well, aren't you superwoman," Ichigo said as he came down to press a kiss on her forehead. "I'm here now so get some rest."

Rukia nodded as a yawn escaped her. "I was planning to but I need to clean up the area first."

"I can do that for you."

But she merely snorted at his offer. "Then are you willing to make dinner as well?"

"Anything I make will definitely be better than what you might make," Ichigo said, earning him a slap right away. "Oi, I was being nice so why don't you just take it without being a bitch."

Rukia promptly ignored him as she closed her eyes and immediately fell asleep in the middle of the living room. Ichigo played with Takeshi a little bit more before looking down at her peaceful expression. A small smile graced his lips as he reached over to sweep a stray bang away from her face.

"Mama nigh'?" Takeshi blinked.

Ichigo smiled. "Yup, so we have to be really quiet." He emphasized by placing a finger against his lips. Takeshi mimicked his move while giggling.

Staring down at Rukia once again, Ichigo couldn't believe how strong she was. She really was superwoman in his eyes.

After Yume's sudden passing, Rukia worked extra hard to make up for the time she had spent in her room ignoring Takeshi, Ichigo, and the rest of the world. In no time she was back to her original self: the demanding and annoying midget that was growing in his heart. Not to mention their sex life kicked back into gear a month afterwards.

"Oops."

Ichigo was pulled out of his thoughts to look down at Takehi who was frowning. He also frowned. "What's wrong?" Takeshi looked up at his father before patting his diaper. That was all Ichigo had to see to know what was 'oops.' A deep sigh escaped him as he picked up his son. "Com'on, let's change your diaper."

Even after a year of raising a child, Ichigo still couldn't stand dirty diapers. If Takeshi wasn't his kid he was sure he wouldn't do it even for a million yens.

Of course if Isshin could disappear, then that would be another story.

---

Ichigo could only smile as he listened to Takeshi squealing and laughing from his seat in the stroller. It wasn't often that the entire family got to go out somewhere, so even this little baby could tell today was a special day.

"Bird!" he pointed to the sky.

The father nodded with a grin. "That's right. You're really smart Takeshi."

Again the baby giggled.

"I can't believe he's turning two in a few months," Rukia sighed, "He's growing up so fast."

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Rukia, he still has almost half a year before he turns two. Stop getting all worked up."

She immediately replied with a swift kick to his shin. "Don't bother me when I'm crying here. Let's see how you'll react when he suddenly grows up and starts college."

"Freakin' midget," he groaned as they continued their walk to the Karakura Middle School. He looked up to see a huge banner in front of the school gates: Annual Sports Tournament. "Man, I haven't been here in years."

"Are the others joining us?" Rukia asked, referring to their friends.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Tatsuki said she was going to come but I'm not sure if the others are." They entered the school grounds to see kids already playing soccer up ahead. "Are we late?"

"No, this is the first game," she told him. She looked around to look for any familiar faces when she noticed someone waving at them. "I see Yuzu over there." They walked over to where the young girl was waiting for them. As soon as they reached her, Rukia gave her a hug. "How's the tournament so far?"

"Great!" she squealed, "Our class is winning with Karin already having made her third shot of the day."

"Not surprising," Ichigo snorted.

Yuzu bent down and smiled as her nephew squealed at seeing her. "And how are you, Takesh-kuni? Did you have a nice long nap?"

"Yu'," he mumbled as he reached out a hand to his young aunt.

"Shouldn't you be playing too?" the older brother asked.

But Yuzu shook her head. "I'm not good so Karin-chan made me to something simpler while she signed up for almost every game."

"Well, don't take it badly. She's just overprotective of you," Ichigo patted her head, earning a wide grin from his sister.

"_Yuzu-chan!_"

The said girl turned around to see her friends calling for her. "Well, looks like they need me. I'll see you guys later!"

Ichigo and Rukia waved as Yuzu left them until she was with her friends. Then they made their way to the stands where family and visitors were sitting, watching the game before them. "This is exciting," Rukia grinned.

Ichigo snorted as he parked the stroller off to the side. Picking up Takeshi and the bag with the bento boxes that they made for lunch later, he followed Rukia as she looked around for a seat. "What are you doing?" he asked when she remained still in her spot, still looking for a spot when there were still a lot of seats opened.

"I'm searching for our friends—oh, there they are!" she pointed. Ichigo followed her finger and sure enough Tatsuki was waving at them from several feet away. The two of them—plus one baby—made their way across the stands to confront Tatsuki and Renji. "Hey, are you guys the only ones here?"

"For now," Renji answered, "Ishida and Inoue might come along with Chad. But I'm not sure about the others."

"Hopefully they'll know what's good for them and not come," Ichigo muttered under his breath as he sat down.

Tatsuki leaned over and smiled at the baby. "And how are you Takeshi?"

"Boo," he answered.

"That's great to hear." She grabbed his tiny hand and did a high five.

"Man the last time I was here was when I was still attending this school," Ichigo commented as he watched his sister run across the field for the ball.

Renji snickered as a thought came to him. "This makes me remember about the time I kicked you ass back in sixth grade while playing basketball." He quickly got a smack on the head from the orange head.

"That was because you cheated! If Tatsuki over here hadn't pushed me down I would have won."

The said woman rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you two are still making a big deal out of that after all these years," she said before smirking at Ichigo. "But that was a pretty hilarious day."

"Shut up," he growled.

Rukia chuckled as she wiped the drool from off from Takeshi's face. "You guys are so lucky to have all these memories together."

"What were you doing when you were in elementary school?" Renji asked.

She frowned as she thought about it. "Well, while I was with my grandparents we were living in a small town in Saitama. I was just a normal student until I was found by Niisama not too long after."

"Do you have any exciting stories from there?"

"Well…there was this guy I met there. He was my first crush," she grinned at the memories.

Tatsuki and Renji snickered as they saw the jealous expression on Ichigo's face. "What was his name?" she asked.

"I think it was…Something Hiro I think," she said.

"Psch, what a gay name," Ichigo mumbled off to the side.

"What happened to him?" Tatsuki asked to further annoy the orange head who was now glaring at her.

Rukia shrugged her shoulders. "After I got adopted by Niisama, I never heard from him ever again. Maybe I should look him up…"

"Why would you want to do that?" Ichigo scowled.

She looked up at him to notice for the first time how irritated he looked. "Ichigo are you okay? You don't look so good."

"Yeah, what's up your ass?" Renji snickered.

Ichigo was just about to grab a water bottle and chug it at his head when suddenly everyone around them rose to cheer out loud as the game came to an end. He looked up see his sister getting picked up as her class celebrated their victory.

Rukia and Tatsuki stood up and gathered their stuff. "Let's go down and meet them. It's almost time for lunch."

Throwing Renji one last glare, Ichigo handed Takeshi to Rukia so he could carry the bento boxes they had prepared. Carefully making their way towards the twins, they ignored all the suspicious looks they were getting from adults around them.

Ever since Rukia left high school, word spread throughout the town how the son of the well-respected Kurosaki clinic's doctor got the new girl pregnant. And that started _the looks_. Sure there were still many nice people that treated them well, but that didn't hide the fact there were many other people, especially other parents, who would glare at them and whisper behind their backs.

"Psch, pricks," Tatsuki snapped as they passed by some parents who were keeping their kids away from them.

Ichigo's eyebrows enclosed closer together though he didn't say anything.

When someone whispered about the ugly baby born between two stupid teenagers, Renji almost lost it. "Want me to shut them up for you?" he nudged the ticking orange head.

But Rukia stepped in. "Don't even think about it, both of you," she glared at Ichigo and Renji.

Tatsuki's hands clenched into tight fists. "But they're totally asking for it."

"But there's no reason to stoop so low as to prove them right by reacting the way you guys want to," Rukia chided as she held the baby tighter. Her eyes turned up to one side as she looked at the man next to her. "Right, Ichigo?"

"Che," he snorted.

They reached the twins before anything could happen. Rukia immediately put on a smile. "Karin you did great!"

The said girl looked up with a twinkle in her eyes that only appears after a satisfying game. "Did you see me put in that last goal, Rukia-nee?"

Rukia nodded. "You totally nailed them."

"Karin-chan! Let's talk later and eat first. I'm really hungry!" Yuzu grabbed some of the boxes her brother was holding. She quickly led them over to a more secluded area of the school grounds so they could all sit together and eat. "How come the others aren't here?"

"Some of them will be here later," Tatsuki told her before turning to Karin. "So where did you learn that last move?"

She grinned back as she relayed to her how she practiced the kick after seeing one of her favorite soccer players perform it on T.V. "—And I was able to actual hit the ball just last week. I had to get Ichi-nii to help me out after that."

"Man, you're really amazing," Renji patted her on the head.

"'Zing!" Takeshi threw his arms in the air.

Karin grinned as she grabbed her nephew and held him. "Thanks, kiddo. When you grow up, I'll teach you the move, okay?"

The baby just giggled in response.

"Karin-chan! Yuzu-chan!"

The twins simultaneously looked up to see one of their friends running up to them. "Hi, Riko-chan."

The girl, Riko, came to a stop before them and grinned. "Is this Takeshi-kun?" she asked as she kneeled in front of the baby.

"Yup," Karin lifted him up higher so her friend could get a better look at him.

"He's so cute!" Riko squealed as she grabbed the chubby hand.

Yuzu also neared the baby to poke his cheek. "Takeshi-kun, can you say hi?"

The baby continued laughing—loving all the attention—before saying, "Hi!"

"Aw! Kawaii!" Yuzu and Riko squealed.

Rukia laughed as her baby started clapping. "He's really a ladies' man."

"That's because he doesn't look like _him_," Renji pointed at Ichigo who was glaring at him.

Riko looked up at hearing their voices before bowing at the people in front of her. "Hello. My name is Riko."

"Nice to meet you," Rukia smiled, "How do you know the girls? I don't think you guys are in the same class."

The girl nodded. "We were in the same class back in elementary school and we often eat lunch together."

"Well, come over and visit them at our place once in a while," Ichigo said, "These girls barely go out."

"Really? I'd really like to visit your house and play with Takeshi-kun!"

"Sounds like a plan."

"Yay!" she squealed as she and the twins immediately started planning a sleepover.

"Riko!"

The said girl turned around to see her parents approaching them. Waving her hand, she shouted out to them, "Okachan! Otousan! This is Karin and Yuzu. And Takeshi-kun, the one I've been telling you about!"

Suddenly their faces paled as they quickly grabbed their daughter and started to drag her away. "Riko! I told you not to go near them!"

"But why?" she frowned.

"Because!" her mother snapped at her, "They're bad company!"

Ichigo's eyes narrowed into a deadly glare, already knowing what these people meant by that. By now, everyone was staring at them and that was just fueling the fire. But he didn't do anything else but clench his fists, knowing Rukia wouldn't want him to do anything. But that didn't stop his sister.

"What does that suppose to mean?" Karin gave them the similar glare Ichigo was giving them.

Riko's parents looked at her and snorted. "Where did you learn such horrible behavior? Don't you glare at an adult like that. And don't cut into our conversation."

"Don't bother," Riko's father told his wife, "I think rudeness runs in the family. After all, there are so much horrible people in that house," he said while looking at Ichigo.

"Hey!" Karin shouted at him before handing Takeshi to Yuzu. "Take that back!"

The mother scoffed at her reaction. "You're talking like we're wrong."

"You are! You don't know anything about our family!"

The father shook his head as if pitying them. "Such a respectable family that fell so much in society. And all because of the doctor's son and his young girlfriend." He looked down at Rukia, eyeing her like a piece of candy. "And I thought Tokyo raised smart women, not sluts."

In a blink of an eye, Ichigo was up on his feet and holding onto the collar of the father. The older man let out a small strangled cry and his wife gasped in surprise. Ichigo glared daggers into him as he growled, "Take that back, old man."

"Ichigo!" Rukia jumped up to hold him back.

"Let go," Riko's father tried to push Ichigo's hold away but it didn't budge. "Let go before I call the police!"

"Sure, go ahead, but by the time they get here there won't be anything left of you."

"Ichigo," Rukia pulled his arm, "Let go. Don't cause any more trouble! We're at a school and the children are looking!"

With a low growl, Ichigo shoved the man away, who landed on his ass. His wife rushed to him and helped him up. "You talk all high and mighty by talking shit about people younger than you when in reality that just makes you look lower than shit. Do you really think that's going to look well to your kids?"

"Why you—" the father lost his sentence when Renji and Tatsuki stood up to stand next to their friend. He bit his lip as he glared and pointed an accusing finger at them. "I'm going to have a talk with your school to make sure they expel delinquents like you! I don't want people like you near my children!"

"You talk as if they're caring some sick disease when its people like you who are sick in your way of thinking things," Karin said as she stood next to her brother. "I thought adults are supposes to be smarter than that." She immediately got a high-five from Tatsuki and Renji as they came to stand next to her too.

The two parents were about to retort, but stopped when their daughter tugged on their arms. "Stop talking bad about my friends and their family! And people are staring! It's embarrassing!"

At her words, the parents finally looked around to notice that most of the people were giving _them_ a weird stare instead of at the young parents they were targeting. Clearing his throat, the father tugged on his collar to fix it. "Riko! Let's go!" He turned around and quickly dragged his wife away.

The others watched as the couple, who suddenly started bickering, disappear behind the school building, probably to hide from all the stares. Karin looked back at her friend and smirked. "Thanks for standing up for us."

Riko shook her head as she smiled. "I'm really sorry about my parents. They don't know what they're talking about."

Yuzu stood up with Takeshi and approached her friend. "I hope this doesn't affect our sleepover."

"No way! I'm coming over next weekend so get ready," she grinned.

Ichigo smirked as he patted her on the head. "Thanks a lot. I'll make sure to buy you guys a treat when you come over."

At his words, the grin widened as did the sparkle in her eyes. "Really? Can we have some ice creams?"

"I'll make sure to buy buckets of your favorite ice cream," Rukia added.

She cheered as she and the twins started to list their favorite flavors as the others went back to their seats.

"Man, that was dramatic," Renji sighed, "This is probably the tenth time something like this happened."

"And again, thanks for standing up for us man," Ichigo lightly knocked him on the shoulder. He then looked over at Rukia who was smiling at the girls and their baby in between them. "Hey," he nudged her shoulder with his own. "You okay?"

Rukia looked up at him before nodding. She leaned over to rest her head on his shoulder. He immediately wrapped an arm around her body and held her close as he listened to the long list of the cool dessert being read off and his two other friends boasting about the last time they fought with a group of high school-dropouts.

"Ichigo?"

"Yeah?"

Rukia snuggled deeper in his embrace. "I'm really happy."

He smiled as he placed a kiss on top of her head. "Me too."

* * *

A/N: Like many other countries, Japan has a Sport Day from elementary to high schools. I just wanted to include a scene where Ichigo and Rukia encounter more people on the issue of having kids really young. I decided to write about the twin's sport day instead of Ichigo's by random.

Just in case anyone is skeptically of the talking ability of a baby, I have babysat kids ranging from one year old to ten years old almost my entire life, and trust me, some one year old can say simple words. It's really amazing. And in this chapter Takeshi is over a year old (lots of time passed since the previous chapter). In fact, let's say he's around fifteen months.

This was a hard chapter for me to write (due to the reasons I have stated at top) but I also felt necessary to include this. Ichigo and Rukia are more than proud to show off their child. At first, they were met with weird and cautious stares but at the end other parents were able to ignore it as they all helped in staring down Riko's parents after their little show. This was to show that over time people started getting used to this couple and realize that they're no different from before. I don't know if I portrayed it right but that was what I was aiming for.

Thanks for reading and please review!!!

Preview for next time:

A few years later...Ichigo and Rukia thinking about their future...?


	15. Time Machine

**Author's Note: OMG! I practically have two more chapters left after this! I am so excited. Thanks to everyone who have read and reviewed this story. I am planning on uploading next chapter next week around the same time and hopefully the epilogue the day after. I am done with them but just going through it one more time just to make sure everything is good. I know some of you guys hate waiting but I like to keep up the suspense a little longer.**

**In this chapter, a few years passed since the previous chapter. I just needed to move time faster but without writing a whole bunch of unnecessary chapters so I skipped ahead.  
**

**Before going any further, I would like to clarify something. I know high schools in Japan only go for three years, but in Another Step Forward I _miscalculated_ and made it into 4 years. If nobody is bothered by this, then don't take this into too much consideration. But to those who have noticed this problem, this was my explanation. Hope that cleared things up a bit and it doesn't bother anyone (it did bother me a lot so I had to write this).**

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Bleach

* * *

Chapter 15: Time Machine

* * *

"OTOUSAN!"

"AH!" Ichigo yelped when a small body suddenly landed on top of him while he was sleeping. He looked down and glared when he noticed who had attacked him. "Takeshi! What did I tell you about jumping on me so early in the morning?!"

But the youngest Kurosaki male merely grinned as he sat up and lunged himself at his father again, wrapping his tiny arms around his neck. "School time!" he excitingly announced.

Ichigo just groaned as he sat up and looked at the clock. Yup, it was school time.

"OTOUSAN!" he screamed again.

"Okay, I get it," Ichigo sighed, acting all annoyed. But just as Takeshi dropped his guard with a pout, Ichigo immediately wrapped his arms around his small son and pulled him down on the bed with him. "ARUGH!" he grunted out loud like a monster.

"AH!" Takeshi screamed in glee as his father started tossing and turning on the bed like a monster trying to eat him. He started laughing really hard when Ichigo started to tickle his sides. "NO!" he shouted.

"Oh? You want me to stop?" Ichigo smirked at him.

Takeshi nodded his tiny head while the rest of his body was still trembling from his father's fingers.

"I can't hear you?" Ichigo joked as he started tickling harder.

"AH! HAHAHA! STOP!" Takeshi screamed even louder.

"Why I ought a—"

"ENOUGH!"

The father and son stopped when a booming voice suddenly entered in the middle of their game. They looked up to see a fuming Rukia standing by the door.

"What are you two doing so early in the morning?!" she glared.

"Um, wrestling…?" the two answered with uncertainty.

Rukia rolled her eyes when the two looked up at her with the exact same look. Both of them were sweaty and tangled in the sheets with their messy hair even more tousled from their little tickle-battle.

Seriously, it was like Ichigo was playing with his younger self but only with black hair.

"What did I tell you to do, Kurosaki Takeshi?" she looked sternly at her young son.

Takeshi immediately looked away. "Wake otousan."

"And?"

He looked pass the window and pouted. "And eat breakfast before cold," he mumbled his few known words.

"Yes, that's right," she nodded, "But is that what you did?"

Takeshi shook his head.

The young mother sighed. "Then what do you have to say for yourself?"

"…Sorry," he sniffled as his bangs covered his violet eyes.

Ichigo felt a huge pain on his chest when his son suddenly looked like that. "Ah, come off it already, Rukia," he looked at her, "We were just having some fun. I've been so busy with school lately that we haven't been doing much—"

"Stop right there, Kurosaki Ichigo," she glared at him, quickly shutting him up. "I don't want you spoiling him when you should be spending every second of the day studying for your college entrance exam."

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Stop trying to be my mother too. And what's wrong with me having some fun with my son? It's not affecting my studies—OW! What was that for?!" he yelled as he held the back of his head.

Rukia, who dropped the fist she used to smack him over the head with, glared even more fiercely at him. "Because your version of fun is causing too much ruckus! The new neighbors just came by asking what all that screaming was!"

"But ojiichan louder!" Takeshi raised his arms into the air to signify how much louder his grandfather was compared to them.

"Yeah!" Ichigo agreed, his face looking serious but his eyes sparkling with amusement.

"I don't care, Takeshi," Rukia walked over and pulled him out of his father's bed. "Go downstairs and eat your breakfast. Yuzu obachan woke up really early this morning just to make you your favorite breakfast."

"Ah!" the little black haired child gasped in realization before rushing out of the room.

Once he was far gone, Rukia turned around and shook her head at seeing Ichigo's rumpled up look. "You're impossible."

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said and was about to follow her son when a hand suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her down into the bed. "Ah! Ichigo, what are you doing?!"

The orange head merely smirked as he twisted his body so he was hovering over her. "Why weren't you here this morning?" he asked as he started to place kisses down her neck.

Rukia resisted the urge to giggle. "Because you were snoring too loud."

"Liar," he said as he unbuttoned the top part of her blouse to venture his lips lower.

"Ichigo!" Rukia gasped, "You have to go to school!"

"Why don't you just move into this room?' he asked, completely ignoring what she said as he cupped one of her breasts over her clothes, "It's not like nobody knows we're sleeping together."

"Mhmm," she finally moaned, unable to stop her body from arching more into his touch, "B-because Takeshi is sssstill afraid of sleeping a-alone—ah!" she squeaked when Ichigo bit down on her pulse point.

Ichigo continued to attack her creamy neck and succeeded in pulling off half the buttons. "Takeshi is a big boy now," he tried to reason. "He doesn't need you to sleep anymore. I do."

Rukia chuckled as she ran a hand through his hair. "Does that mean you're a 'little boy' now?"

Ichigo pulled back to smirk down at her. "No. I just want my woman next to me when I sleep and wake up every day now."

The sudden confession startled Rukia but her tension soon died down when she saw the warmth in his eyes. "I'll think about it," she finally said.

"Good." Ichigo reached down and placed his lips over Rukia's as he angled to the side to deepen it. A groan came from within his chest as he felt the familiar tongue that always teased him whenever he entered this sweet cave of desire. "Rukia," he gasped as he started to nip down her jaw and to the other side of her neck.

Rukia bit her lip to down her moans as she looked over to read the time with her hazed eyes. "I-Ichigo. Y-you rrreally have to get—ah!—ready. Mmm."

When he felt Rukia tugging his hair back, Ichigo finally pulled himself up and sat on the bed. "Why don't I just skip school and stay here with you today?"

Rukia chuckled as she slipped her body off from under him and stood up to straighten her clothes. "Because you need to go to school and keep up with your good grades." She turned around and pointed a finger straight at his face. "You need to get a good job so you can support me and our son."

Ichigo rolled his eyes as he swatted her hand away before getting up. "Fine, I'll go."

"There are only a few more months until you graduate, Ichigo," she reminded him, "Then it's downhill from there."

"Did you forget about college? And medical school? I still have several more years before I can get a job as a doctor," Ichigo replied as he pulled his shirt off, leaving his top-half bare for the world to see.

Rukia walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. She propped her chin on his hard chest so she could look up at him. "Don't worry. You're going to get into a great university and the years will go by really quickly. You'll be working at a hospital before you know it," she placed a kiss on the center of his chest.

Ichigo nodded as he wrapped his arms around her waist as well. "And hopefully we can move out of this hellhole, far away from my crazy old man."

"Not likely," she grinned.

Ichigo groaned as he released his hold on her. "Are we bound to live in this hell forever?"

"Only until your father dies…which I doubt will be anytime soon," she chuckled. Leaving him a short sweet kiss on the lips, she pushed herself off of him and headed back downstairs. "Hurry up and get ready," she said by the door.

He just nodded his head as he started to get ready for another day of school. By the time he got downstairs, everyone was at their respectable seats, eating their breakfast with all the excitement one would find only in the Kurosaki residence.

"ICHIGO!" Isshin jumped toward his son.

The orange head stuck up an arm and held his father away at arm's length. "Stay away from me, you old man," he growled.

Isshin started to whine as he kept trying to reach his son. "But Ichigo! I need to know when you're going to make me another grandchild so I can prepare—"

"Shut up!" Ichigo quickly delivered a swift back kick, sending his father to the other side of the house. "Stop screaming nonsense. We're not having another kid yet so stop begging!" He quickly turned around and sat down in his usual seat next to an annoyed midget.

"Che, you could have fooled me with all that talk you just gave me," Rukia softly scoffed so only they could hear.

Ichigo leaned over and kissed her cheek with a slight smirk. "I said 'yet.' We'll see about making Takeshi a little brother or sister _after_ you move into my room." He pulled away and was about to start eating when Rukia suddenly delivered a hard kick to the shin under the table. "Ah!" he yelped as he bent forward to grab his leg. He turned his head and sent an evil glare at Rukia who was already pretending like nothing happened. "Bitch," he mumbled.

"I love how she's so dominate over you," Karin, who was sitting across from him, grinned at him.

"Shut up, Karin," Ichigo sneered at her.

Takeshi jumped off his seat at the end of the table and walked over to his father, stretching his arms out to him. "'tousan," he called as he started to wave his arms.

Ichigo looked down and smiled at him before grabbing his little body. "You want to eat with me again?" he asked as he situated his son on his lap.

"Eun!" he smiled widely as he started to pick at Ichigo's food with his little fork.

Rukia smiled at the sweet interaction between father and son, something so rare in the Kurosaki residence with the older father-and-son combo.

"Aw, how cute!" Isshin squealed. "I remember when Ichigo was little, he wanted to always read my dirty magazines with me and—"

"Stop right there or else I'll sew it closed," Ichigo threatened. Checking the time, he stood up and quickly replaced Takeshi on his chair. "Looks like I have to go now. See you later, squirt." He kissed the top of his son's head before grabbing his bag and making his way to the door.

"Have a great day, oniichan!" Yuzu called out.

"And don't check out any other girls! Rukia-chan is still here!" Isshin yelled just before Ichigo slammed the door really loud.

Karin rolled her eyes as her father laughed out loud. "You're impossible."

"I think I'm a stud," he winked.

Takeshi laughed as he jumped off the chair to jump on his grandfather. The others went on with the day as they usually did. Karin and Yuzu left for school a few minutes later and Isshin went to open the clinic. So Rukia and Takeshi were alone once again, playing in his room.

"And then Dr. Evil-Ojisan came out and went 'BAH!'" Takeshi screamed as he smashed the evil action figure with his hero figurine. "But Super-Lighting Man punched back with his 'SKULL-THUNDER!' And then he went 'GUAH!'"

Rukia chuckled as she watched her son fight off 'Dr. Evil-Ojisan.' She looked up and noticed how late it already was. Ichigo would be home in less than an hour. "Takesni."

"Hai?"

"Okasan has to go buy some stuff at the grocery store before otousan gets home. Do you want to come with me?"

"Can Super-Lighting Man come with me?"

Rukia nodded.

"Okay!" He grinned as he started to put away all of his other toys. They quickly got ready and made their way downstairs.

Before heading out, Rukia and Takeshi walked over to the clinic and stepped in. "Kurosaki-san!"

"_Is that my lovely daughter-in-law?!_" A crashing sound came from one of the rooms and the two looked over just as the door burst opened. Isshin jumped out and hugged Rukia and Takeshi to his cheek, ignoring the blood dripping down his forehead and the client in the room he just left, gawking after the said doctor. "What can I do for you two?"

Takeshi squealed in delight while Rukia tried to wiggle free. "I just wanted to let you know that we're going to the market and if there was anything you might need?"

"Another grandchild?"

"That's pushing your luck."

Isshin laughed as he finally set them down. "Just get my grandson a lot of sweets. He needs to grow up strong and tall like me so we can take Ichigo down someday."

"Yeah!" Takeshi cheered.

But Rukia frowned. "Sweets aren't going to help. Milk and vegetables will though."

Takeshi immediately looked at his mother with a hurt look while Isshin shook his head. "Nonsense, Rukia-chan. I'm the doctor and Kurosaki Takeshi is under strict order to have only sweets."

Takeshi suddenly looked hopeful again but Rukia quickly retorted, "If you take back that 'doctor's order,' then I will call you 'otousan' for the rest of the day."

Isshin gawked at her before dropping his head in defeat. "I'm sorry, Takeshi. Rukia-chan just used her special attack on me."

The said grandson just sighed in defeat as he followed his mother out. "We'll be back soon…otousan."

At her last word, Isshin immediately jumped up with a new boost of energy. "Have fun my dear daughter-in-law and grandson! And buy whatever you need to help you and Ichigo get me another grandchild!" he screamed before returning to his client to flaunt off about how Rukia finally called him 'otousan.'

Rukia sighed in relief as they escaped the clinic and made their way to the busy streets.

"Okasan, what do we need to buy?" Takeshi asked.

"Let's see…" Rukia pulled a list out of her purse and read through it. "Not much; just a few ingredients for tonight's dinner. Is there anything you want?"

Takeshi tapped his lip with his finger as if in deep thought. "I want the new Chappy movie!"

"Great answer," she grinned. Picking up Takeshi when he started to get tired, she quickly went to the store that was filled with people buying this and that. Placing Takeshi in the shopping cart, they made their usual rounds through the aisles and got the stuff they needed to get (including the movie).

Whenever Rukia was out in a crowded place, she felt like a regular mother and a normal housewife like almost all the other women there. Sure she was younger but nobody really bothered her too much about it. And whenever Ichigo was with them, they felt like a normal family, not teenagers with their unplanned baby.

"Okasan, look at that!" Takeshi pointed past her shoulder. "That painting is really pretty."

Rukia turned around to see a large poster posted against a wall, advertizing something. There were several people surrounding it, some even jotting down some notes on a piece of paper or their own hands before walking away.

And the painting was indeed beautiful. Pushing the shopping cart, the two neared the poster. They had to wait a bit before they could get close enough to actually read what was written on it. Below the beautiful picture of an unknown lake wrote:

_Ukitake Jyuushirou Presents:_

_The Lady's Lake Gallery_

_In Tokyo This Month ONLY!_

_Also:_

_Submit your art for a chance to work with the World Renown Artist of the Year_

_Only one will be chosen and get a chance to rise in the world of ARTS!_

Some additional information was written after that and Rukia couldn't help but read them over and over again.

Ukitake Jyuushirou.

The artist she had idolized even before she came to Karakura. Her brother bought several of his pieces and they were placed in their many mansions all over Japan. He once took her to one of his galleries and immediately fell in love with all his paintings.

In fact, she always dreamed of becoming an artist…but that all changed after having Takeshi.

"Okasan! This painting looks a lot like yours!"

Rukia was suddenly pulled out of her thoughts to look down at her son. She stared at him before looking up at the painting. "It does, doesn't it? Well, I guess it's because I studied so many of his pieces before that it was only natural that I'd adapt to his style."

"You should paint and put it on this wall too, okasan!"

Rukia blinked several times, her face blank as she mentally contemplated about what her young son had just said. She stared at the words in front of her before grabbing a piece of paper and pen out of her purse to write down the information.

"Okasan? What you writing?" Takeshi asked as he tried to make out what she was doing.

"Nothing important," she told him. Once she got all the information down, she quickly shoved it into her purse and pushed the cart away so other people could near the poster. It seemed like it was pretty popular. "Let's go home. It's pretty later already."

"Okay," Takeshi smiled as they neared the register. They quickly bought all their stuff (with Isshin's money of course) and made their way back to the Kurosaki house. "Tadaima!" he yelled as he opened the door.

"TAKESHI!" Isshin ran up to him and pulled him into a bear hug. "Good thing you're back. Now let's go!"

"Huh?" Rukia looked up from where she was taking off her shoes to see Isshin all dressed to go outside and the twins standing behind him. "Are you going somewhere?"

"Karin-chan and I got a hundred on our test so we're going to go have pizza," Yuzu told her.

"Pizza!" Takeshi's eyes twinkled with glee.

"Do you want to come Rukia-nee?" Karin asked, "Ichigo isn't though. Something about the stupid test and studying for it."

Rukia smiled as she slipped out of her shoes and stepped inside. "Then I guess I'll stay and make him his dinner. You guys go on ahead and have fun."

"Excellent idea, Rukia-chan! Take this chance to make another baby!" Isshin gave her the thumbs up.

"Shut up and get going!" Karin kicked him from behind and they all quickly left the house.

Rukia waved them goodbye and until the door closed then she took the groceries into the kitchen to put them away. Once she was done, she made her way up the stairs and knocked on Ichigo's door.

"…" No answer. She tried again but after getting the same response, she quietly cracked open the door and peeked in to see the orange head crouched over his desk, his mp3 player blasting out really loud.

Rukia sighed, noticing how slouched his shoulders were from exhaustion. She made her way to him and called out his name as she pulled out one of the earphones.

"Wah!" he yelped in surprise. He looked up to see Rukia looking down at him. "Fuck, don't scare me like that."

"Well you shouldn't listen to your music this loud," she told him.

He grunted as he turned off his music and placed it off to the side. "Where were you anyways?" Ichigo asked.

"Takeshi and I were shopping for groceries and got a little distracted," she shrugged, "Sorry if I made you worried."

He snorted as he turned back to his work. "Where's Takeshi now?"

"Your father took him and your sisters for pizza," she told him as she peered over his shoulder. "What are you doing?"

"Studying for the college entrance exams," he groaned, "Todai is a lot harder than Karakura University."

"Why don't you just focus on Karakura instead? Ishida and the others are planning on going there."

But Ichigo shook his head. "Unlike them I already have a family to take care of. And I need the best opportunity so I can support you guys as soon as I can."

"So we can move out of here?"

"Exactly," he smirked at her and got the same look from her.

Rukia leaned forward to wrap her arms around his neck as he continued reading something in his books. "If you get into Todai, does that mean we all have to move to Tokyo?"

"I don't know," he said as leaned back to kiss her on the cheek. "Let's think about that _after_ I get in. I'm already swamped as it is and I feel like my head's going to explode."

But a mischievous thought came into Rukia's head and she showed it on her face. "I think I can help you with that."

---

"How do you feel now?"

"A lot better," Ichigo grinned as he placed little kisses on the tips of her fingers.

Rukia giggled. "I told you I could help you relax." He chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her bare waist, kissing all over her face. A happy sigh came from her as she leaned more into his touch. These past few years they've been getting more intimate with each other even after Takeshi was born. They were really upholding the promise they made the second time they slept together: they were moving forward. "Ichigo," she giggled. "Stop that. Aren't you tired already?"

"With you, no," he muttered as his kisses became more insistent.

But she wouldn't take it. "Well I am," she faked a glare as she turned around to present her back to him.

A low growl came from Ichigo as he stared at her. "Don't think you can get away with just leaving me hanging here. You're supposed to relieve my stress from my studies."

"And I already did," she smirked back at him, "Now I want to sleep."

But Ichigo had other plans. If she wasn't going to participate, he would just have to take care of things himself. Without her noticing, Ichigo brought up one of his hands and reached for her breast as his lips quickly attacked the nape of her neck.

"Ichigo!" she squeaked.

He replied with another growl as his hand started kneading her breast. He could tell she was trying to stop a moan but he would have none of it.

"Ah!" she gasped when he bit her ear.

"Stop trying to pretend like you're all tired and play with me," he smirked at her from the corner of her eyes. "It's a lot more fun when you do this with me."

"Psh," she scoffed, "You're acting like a little kid."

"I don't see what the problem is with that," he said as he started to kiss from her temple all the way down to her neck. He moaned as his hand fondled her breast, getting a small gasp from the woman in his arms. "It still amazes me how much your breasts have swelled down after you stopped breastfeeding."

Rukia slightly flinched. "Why? You disappointed?" she slightly growled in anger.

But Ichigo chuckled. "No, I prefer you this way. Besides, your breasts were too sensitive back then that I couldn't squeeze them as much as I can now."

Rukia was about to respond when something he said triggered something in her head. "Hey Ichigo," she called out, her voice now only slightly breathless.

"Hmm?"

She frowned as she thought about how she was going to say it. "Remember what you said to me this morning after you hit your father?"

"Remind me," he mindlessly started kissing down to her shoulders, not really paying attention to how serious her voice was at the moment.

"About having another kid?"

That got him. Ichigo's lips stopped in their little journey across the well-known territory of Rukia's skin when he finally realized how he had talked about making Takeshi a little brother or a sister. "Yeah, I remember."

Rukia turned around and looked directly into his eyes as she asked, "Did you really mean it?"

Ichigo returned her stare. He repeated her question over and over again in his head. Did he really want another kid with Rukia? Even though this should have been a question that a lot of men would have dreaded, the more he thought of it, the more obvious the answer was. "…I do."

She wasn't sure why but a smile slowly started to form. "Really?" a blush appeared.

Cupping her face, he nodded back with a smile. "I told you I wanted to make us a real family. So why shouldn't we have more kids?"

Rukia almost squealed with joy as she turned around and snuggled against his chest. "Next time, let's have a girl."

"Che, whatever," he muttered, trying to act uninterested when in reality he was grinning widely at the thought of having a girl.

"Maybe she'll have orange hair like you," she suggested.

"Hmm, that's not a bad thought," he nodded. "I guess I'm going to have to work hard in order to make us a cute girl."

"With my genes, I'm sure our daughter won't go wrong," she said before adding, "As long as she doesn't inherit any of your ugly features though."

Ichigo glared down at her. "Oi," he growled.

But Rukia just laughed at his threat. "I'm sure your father will love it if we have a girl."

The thought made him cringe. "Let's wait until _after_ we get away from him."

"Oh? But I want one _now_," she challenged him. When Ichigo's eyes landed on her, she gave him a seductive smile before leaning over to kiss him fully on the lips.

A knowing smirk came across him as he flipped them over the bed until he was hovering above her. "Well, there's nothing I can do if you're _this _insistent in having another baby now."

An eyebrow went up in amusement. "Then what are you waiting for? I'm already getting bored here, Kurosaki."

"Demanding bitch," he growled before leaning down to devour her lips.

* * *

A/N: KYA! I think I did a good job making Takeshi really cute in this chapter, don't you think? I have a soft side when it comes to babies and I love listening to their drabbles. It's so funny.

Now, about Ukitake's art competition I wrote above. I was originally going to write a chapter on Rukia's art skills but lost that chapter a month back so I never uploaded it. My bad. But it doesn't play too big of a role in this story or the sequel. I just needed to include it in order to tie these two stories more closely together so that everything works in parallel with each other. Of course there could be some overlaps but I think it's pretty well connected.

And about the conversation Ichigo and Rukia just had about having another kid...those who read the sequel should know what happens *wink* To those who haven't read it, wait just one more week and it will be all over!

Thanks for reading and please review!

Preview for next chapter:

Takeshi visits his grandmother and Rukia gets a life-changing phone call.


	16. Changes

**Author's Note: I can't believe I'm almost done! There is only the epilogue left then this prequel is over!!! I am so happy and sad at the same time. This was a fun ride for me and I'm very grateful to everyone who have read and reviewed this story. I was so busy watching the Olympics opening ceremony yesterday that I totally forgot to upload this. SO, I'm planning on uploading the epilogue before Tuesday for everyone to read. Look forward to it! And I will definitely include a "THANK YOU" list at the end with everyone's ID who have reviewed this story. So keep an eye out for that.**

**This chapter isn't that long after the last chapter. I realized that I haven't done anything with Masaki yet so I included this chapter. It came out a bit short but I didn't want to write too much in case it spoils the sequel for anyone. Just read and find out what happens!**

**Disclaimer**: I do NOT own Bleach

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Chapter 16: Changes

* * *

Rukia smiled as she walked up a familiar hill, hand-in-hand with Ichigo.

"Okasan! Otousan! Hurry!" Takeshi screamed from a few yards ahead of them.

"Slow down Takeshi. She's not going anywhere so we don't have to rush," Ichigo called out to him but the smile on his face never wavered.

She laughed as their son still ran the rest of the way to the place they would visit together every year on the same day. Isshin and the twins were some ways behind them, taking their time to let the small family a chance to talk to the person they were visiting before anyone else.

"We're here!" Takeshi squealed as he ran back to grab his parents.

"Alright, alright," Ichigo laughed as he scooped up his son to walk the remaining few feet. When they reached their destination, he stood in front of a weekly-cleaned stone with the etchings _Kurosaki Masaki_ written in the front. "Hey there 'kachan."

"Obaachan," Takeshi started, "Konnichiwa."

Rukia stood next to them as she bowed deeply in a form of respect. "How have you been, Kurosaki-san?" Stepping forward, she used the wooden ladle to spill water over the stone to wash away the dirt it had collected over the week, though it wasn't much. "Looks like your father has been keeping this place really clean," she told Ichigo.

He merely grunted as he let Takeshi down to kneel in front of his mother's tomb. He placed a gentle hand on top of it, not minding the cool water that was drying up under the hot sun. "Sometimes I think he comes up here every night to clean this place up," he said before smiling, "Right, 'kachan?"

Rukia chuckled as she watched Takeshi standing next to his father to place a small bouquet of flowers down. "Takeshi," she called out as she placed a hand on his shoulder, "Why don't you tell obaachan what you did yesterday?"

Takeshi's face immediately brightened up even more as he started his tale. "Obaachan, guess what? Ojiichan and I went to the market yesterday and we played soccer with some melons that we found there and then—"

Ichigo couldn't help rolling his eyes as he listened to his son's tale for the nth time. But that didn't stop him from listening to the story again. Because every time Takeshi talked about it, something new was always added to the story.

He still couldn't believe how much time had passed since the faithful night he and Rukia got pregnant with the child who was now rambling on and on next to him. It still felt like only yesterday that he held his son for the first time. This was the third time he was coming up here with Rukia, the first time being when she was well into her pregnancy. Of course Yume was there with them, but it was to be her first and last visit to Masaki's grave.

Three years have passed and Ichigo still couldn't believe how lucky he was. Never had he thought he would get a beautiful woman to be the mother of his perfect son. Sure it would have been nice if his mother was still alive and if his father wasn't such an idiot, but still everything seemed fine and dandy in his world. And nothing was going to mess it up…

Except his son growing up too fast.

Now he was starting to understand what Rukia was whining about the year before. Takeshi WAS growing up too fast. In a blink of an eye Takeshi was running around and talking like a little diplomat. He was afraid in another blink Takeshi would be going to college, leaving him and Rukia behind.

"And then okasan and otousan took me to the bathroom for a bath and we had another bubble war! It was fun but I fell asleep right after that," he finally concluded.

Ichigo chuckled as he placed an affectionate hand on his son's head. "That was a great story, Takeshi. I'm sure obaachan liked it." He got a bright smile in return.

Rukia smiled as she kneeled in front of the head stone and clapped her hands together I prayer. "Kurosaki-san, please say hello to my obaachan for me," she prayed. But after seeing the pout on her son's face, she included, "And please tell her about Takeshi's story too."

Takeshi's laughed as he wrapped his arms around his mother to give her an appreciative hug. The bright smiles on both of their faces brought a warm feeling in Ichigo's chest. Everything about this moment was perfect and it seemed like nothing could ruin it—

"WE'RE HERE!"

Except that.

Ichigo looked over his shoulder to see Isshin skipping towards them while his twin sisters were calmly walking behind him. With a sigh, he stood up to glare at his father. "Can't you quiet down? It's disrespectful to the dead."

"Nonsense! These dead people have been lying around and are bored to death!—no pun intended. Now, let's get the party started!"

"Yay!" Takeshi cheered. But before Isshin could start the annual 'Kurosaki Family's Tombstone Domino Rally,' Karin jumped up in the air and kicked him to the other side of the cemetery.

"Shut up and stay down!" she yelled at him, with Takeshi cheering for her this time.

"Why can't we visit okasan like a normal family," Yuzu sighed as she knelt in front of her mother to pray. In no time at all Isshin was back, running up to hug his daughter and grandson into his chest while screaming about how his children was growing up too quickly.

Ichigo watched from a few feet away, getting ready to punch him if he did anything stupid when he felt his hand being tugged. He looked down to see Rukia looking up at him, silently telling him to follow her.

Rukia slowly led him away from the others to talk to him privately. "Ichigo," she started, "I need to tell you something."

"What's up?" he asked, shoving his hands down his pants as he watched his father swing his son in the air, barely hitting Karin.

"Last month I sent in a painting I drew for a contest," she told him, finally getting him to look at her. "…And I won."

A brow went up as Ichigo thought about this. "What does that mean?"

"It means I get a chance to work with the famous artist Ukitake Jyuushirou and become his apprentice."

Seconds passed by in silence as Ichigo stared at her, his expression slowly changing as he started to process what she was saying. "Y-you're going to work?"

Rukia frowned at the way his was stuttering. "Why? Can't I?'

"No—I mean yes, I mean—'yes' you can work but…" He scratched his orange head as he tried to figure out what he was trying to say.

"But what?"

With a sigh, he looked away as he muttered, "I just didn't think you'd find a job this quick."

"Is that bad?" she looked at him earnestly.

Seeing her expression as it slowly turned from excitement to worry, he couldn't help but smile at the thought that his opinion mattered so much to her. He shook his head as he pulled her into his embrace. "No, of course not. I should be congratulating you."

Rukia sighed in relief as she melted against his warm body. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He pulled away to place a kiss on her forehead. "I can't wait to see a huge gallery open up with your name on it."

"Me too," she grinned.

He pulled away and asked, "Does that mean you have to leave?"

She shook her head. "Ukitake-san contacted me a few days ago and told me my apprenticeship doesn't officially start until next year. He's out of the country right now and won't be back for awhile. Then, he's planning to come to Karakura and we'll figure things out then."

"But do you have to leave when that time comes?" he asked again, still worried about her leaving him and possibly affecting their relationship.

Rukia shrugged her shoulders. "Hopefully not. If I do, I'm sure it's only up to Tokyo or some other large city, but not for long. He already knows about our little family here and is willing to work things out."

He finally smiled at that. "Good."

Everything was going good up to that point. He was whispering his plans to support her while she was explaining the kind of art she will be focusing on. Things should have just stayed on those topics but Ichigo just had to open his big mouth. "Still," he smirked, "I can't believe one of your horrendous drawings got picked. Are you sure this guy is an artist?"

The next thing he knew he was down on the ground with a big bump on his head.

---

"See you later!" Pressing a quick kiss on Rukia's cheek and Takeshi's head, Ichigo ran out the door with his hair still damp, clothes all wrinkled, and a piece of toast hanging out of his mouth.

Everyone else who was at home stared off to where a strong gush of wind had just passed through the entire house.

"Otousan?" Takeshi frowned.

Isshin laughed as he patted him on the head. "Yeah, it was otousan. I guess he was a lot late than the he thought."

"Still, he should have had some breakfast instead of a piece of toast," Yuzu pouted.

Karin dismissed the thought with a wave of a hand. "It's his fault for waking up so late."

Rukia nodded as she helped Yuzu clean up his plate. "And it's his fault for missing out on your great cooking, Yuzu." The younger twin just sighed in understanding as she went to the sink.

"Okasan," Takeshi called out, "Can we go to park today?"

Rukia tapped a finger against her lips as if contemplating. "I don't know, Takeshi. I thought we stay home and watch Chappy instead."

At the mentioning of the white bunny, Takeshi's eyes widened and started to sparkle. "Really! Then let's stay home!"

Watching her nephew's enthusiasm, Karin snickered as she looked at Rukia. "He's turning more and more like you."

Rukia nodded. "Just don't tell Ichigo that. Who knows what he might do if he finds out Takeshi likes Chappy."

Karin nodded as she got up and grabbed her bag. "Yuzu, let's get going," she called to her sister who was in the middle of taking off her apron. "We'll see ya later," she waved as she left the house.

"Bye! Have fun." Yuzu kissed Takeshi on the cheek before following her twin.

"Ah, looks like it's now my turn to leave and open up the clinic." Stretching his arms above his head, Isshin got up and made his way out. "If you need anything, just scream 'DADDY!'" He grinned.

"Bye bye ojiichan!" Takeshi waved as the door closed.

Rukia took the remaining plates on the table and started cleaning up. "Takeshi, okasan needs to clean up a bit so do you want to watch Chappy now or play with your toys first?"

Takeshi's face scrunched up as he thought over the two difficult choices. "Me wanna watch Chappy with okasan."

"And I want to watch it with you too," she grinned, happy things are working out so well. "Go up to your room and grab some toys. Play in the living room while I clean up, okay?"

"Hai!" With great excitement, Takeshi jumped off his seat and quickly ran up the stairs to grab his favorite action figures.

Smiling after his tiny form, Rukia returned to her task. She still couldn't believe how much Takeshi had grown over the years. He could now walk and talk all by himself that the thought of him leaving her nest someday was making her teary.

_I wonder if Obaachan and Ojiichan felt like this too,_ she thought, thinking back to her childhood of the two sweet grandparents that took care of her.

By then Takeshi had returned with armful of toys and climbed up onto the couch to start playing. Nothing was going to distract him from his great role-play, not even his mother who was going back and forth doing what mothers always do.

Wash the dishes. Dust the cabinets. Clean the windows. Do the laundry. Vacuum the house. The list went on and on, leaving no time for a break. Seriously, school was easier because at least you get to sit around and there were breaks in-between classes. The vacuum was roaring against the floor of the living room when something started to move next to her leg.

_Bzz. Bzz. Bzz._

Pulling the vibrating phone out of her pocket, she flipped it open and answered, "Moshi-moshi."

"_Rukia?"_

"Ichigo? Is something wrong?" she immediately asked, suspicious of his spontaneous call.

"_Yeah, do you see a manila envelope by the kitchen counter?"_

Rukia turned around and looked around until the said item caught her eyes. "Yeah, it's right here."

A sigh of relief came from the other end. _"Can you do me a big favor and bring it to school before lunch? I totally forgot it was due today."_

"Is this important?"

"_That thing is my ticket getting out of this high school."_

"Fine," she grunted, "Do you want me to bring you lunch too? You were in such a rush this morning you forgot it again."

"_That'd be great,"_ he said before adding, _"Just as long as you don't burn the food—_" His sentence got abruptly cut off when Rukia hung up the phone, ignoring the last comment before she decide to really burn his lunch.

While Takeshi was still busying himself with his action figures, Rukia returned to the living room to put away the vacuum cleaner so she could prepare lunch. "Takeshi! We're going to go see Otousan at school later."

"Yay!"

"Is there anything you want for lunch?"

"Sausages!"

Rukia chuckled, having already guessed he would say that. She started rummaging through the fridge to get his favorite food when suddenly her phone started to ring again. Assuming it was Ichigo again, she answered the call with a bit of irritation. "Ichigo, if you're calling to finish that sentence—"

"_Rukia_," a cold voice called out from the other end of the phone.

It was not Ichigo.

Rukia stood still, her complexion paling as she realized who she was talking to. "Niisama," she breathlessly gasped.

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A/N: CLIFFHANGER!

I know a lot of you (who haven't ready the sequel) have been asking me about Byakuya...well here he is! And find out what happens later! I am so FREAKIN' excited!

...well, not much else to say here so stay tune for the ending!

And if you want your name on that list then please review!

Preview for next chapter:

Epilogue...Where did Ichigo go?


	17. Epilogue

**Author's Note: THIS IS IT!!! PEOPLE! WE HAVE FINALLY ARRIVED AT THE LAST CHAPTER!!!**

**I still can't believe I finally finished this prologue. Every time I finish a story I get so sad but so relieved that it's over...I don't have anything else to say so quickly read!**

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Bleach

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Epilogue

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_Two Months Later_

Rukia was sitting on the unoccupied bed of Ichigo's, staring out blankly through the window.

Two months.

It had already been two months since the owner of this room left, leaving Rukia to wake up alone in the bed, cold and scared each and every morning. No one dared to bother her, not even Takeshi. In fact, he was still too young to realize anything. But her obvious lack of attention was starting to affect him. He had become quieter and stopped crying for his father.

Takeshi was growing up too quickly.

Rukia was dying a little inside…but not quite. In reality, there was life.

The petite woman let out a depressing sigh as she dropped her head onto her knees, curling her body into a tighter ball. And in her hand was a tightly clutched positive pregnancy test.

"Ichigo…" she quietly sobbed.

**The End…?

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**

A/N: to those who are effing pissed and confused with this VERY short chapter...GO READ THE SEQUEL!!!!!

I liked how I ended this because it left with a major cliffhanger here and from the last chapter. And I didn't want to rewrite what is already written in the sequel. So to those who have been patiently waiting, thank you and now you are free to go read the other story (WARNING: Another Step Forward was my very first fanfic and there are TONS of grammatical and spelling errors). And to those who already read the sequel, then you should know what happened.

Well, thanks for reading my story. And to those who have reviewed (Not PM because I should have already PM'd back separately), I made a list below. Thanks for all the love, especially those who reviewed every chapter (you know who you are :D). Seriously, I wouldn't have finished this without you guys.

**THANK YOU LIST!**

Aeriesboots

alero1990

Aly Dee

AnimeFanx3

ashezo

.Writers

Black Sun Upon An Icy Sky

blueanimefreak

Cerawitch

DanceOfTheWhiteMoon

darklori

Dark Shadowed Dragon

dbzgtfan2004

deathandstrawberry15

DIMITRILOVER21

Dragonsmaiden66

haeresis lightning

Hatake Tsughi

Hekka

ichiruki77

Insistence

kaiserkawaii

kaoru240

KurukiXV

Jeschura

makoshark

09

nejisakura

nintendogirl50

OnigiriKami

ruki09rukiaichigo15chappy

Sassymom25

SilverStella

smooshedpumpkins

star133

StrawberryLoveMidgetIchiruki

solstice442

theloverofanime

vegeta997

ZecoreZecron


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